Trials in Life
by spudtrooper
Summary: Angela is getting ready for her senior prom when something happens to change the lives of her family and a close friend. COMPLETED.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story that I found buried on an old floppy. Not really sure if I will keep up with it. If you all enjoy this story, I may try to continue it. Enjoy:)**

The halls were really crowded as Angela Walker briskly made her way to AP Calculus. It seemed the student population kept growing each day, either that or many students decided to hang out instead of moving on to their classes. Either way it was getting rather annoying. When she finally reached her class, Mr. Burnett smiled at her and so did her close friend, Keaton Groves who was sitting at the back of the class doodling on his notebook.

Many people took one look at Keaton and only saw what they wanted to see, not what lay beneath the rough exterior. He always wore black, had a couple of tattoos, had more piercings then she did and wore his dark brown hair spiked everywhere. He even wore thick chains around his neck that went well with the safety clips down his left shirt sleeve. She never understood why he dressed like that, but he probably never understood why she wore the clothes that she did. She was a tom-boy, however, she always kept up with the latest fashion that was within her father's strict dress code.

Keaton returned to his drawing as Angela sat down at the desk next to him. Looking over she saw him drawing yet another robot. He drew many things: everything from a beautiful horse to giant robots killing each other. But no matter what he drew Angela could see that he had a real talent for it. Shame his father didn't appreciate his talent like she and her parents did.

He finished his sketch then looked up at her. "So, are you going to prom?"

"I don't know. My father is freaking out about how it costs seventy-five dollars just to get a ticket. Then the cost of the dress and everything else that goes with it."

"But isn't your dad a retired Texas Ranger? He can easily afford to send you if he wanted you to go." Keaton shrugged. "I decided I ain't going."

Angela wasn't surprised since Keaton never intended a dance yet. "What if I say we go together?"

Keaton smirked just as the bell rang for the start of class. "Me going to the prom with a cheerleader. Won't that look kinda odd?"

"Not as odd as me going alone."

"You mean you don't have a date yet for your senior prom?"

"Well, Brad asked me..." Angela saw Keaton's eyes roll back into his head. "I know he's a jerk and that is why I said no. Besides it's my senior prom I want it to be fun."

Keaton glanced up as Brad Gooding went to a desk right across from him. "Well, if I do say yes will you be able to get a limo?"

Angela laughed. "My dad can pull some strings."

He gave Angela a deep sigh. "Well, ain't the guy suppose to ask the girl out?"

"So..."

Keaton huffed as he rolled his eyes. "Fine, will you go to the prom with me?"

Angela beamed. "Sure, I will love too."

Later that night Angela was in the kitchen cooking dinner with her father hoping her mother was coming home soon. But with a tough case she didn't know when her hours would be. Dicing up the tomatoes she put them into the salad then turned to her father to see that he was placing the lasagna in the oven.

"Hey, dad I want to ask you something?"

Her father smiled at her. "Sure, what's going on?"

She bit her lip. "I was wondering if I can go to the prom?"

He sighed rather heavily, his arms crossing in the matter that always told Angela that he was annoyed. "Didn't I already tell you that I'm not too sure we can afford it?"

"Dad, you're a retired Texas Ranger and mom is a Distract Court Judge. Believe me, I think you can afford it and besides Keaton invited me." Her voice faded as she mentioned her friend's name. "He really wants to go, dad."

Her father gave her a curious look. "So, why is it that Keaton finally decides to go to a dance?" He shook his head as he saw that look in his daughter's eyes which made him laugh. "Don't tell me you pressured him to do so?"

Angela once again bit her lower lip. "Maybe just a little." She returned to the making the salad. "Oh, his coming over here to eat dinner and he might crash here if that's all right."

Walkers heart sank once again at Angela's words. "Is his dad acting up again?"

"Don't know really, he called me about an hour ago and I could hear his father cursing in the background." She placed the salad in the refrigerator then leaned against the counter. "Why does his father not get charged for child abuse?"

Her father shrugged, but she could see the frustration clearly in his eyes. "Remember we tried a few years ago and got nothing. His father has a clean alibi." He began to butter the Italian bread. "Soon, he'll be old enough to move out."

Angela huffed then shook her head. "Dad, Keaton's flat broke where's he gonna go?"

Her father gave her his usual I'll-take-care-of-everything look then returned to the bread. Sighing in frustration she went into the living room and decided to call her best-friend Katherine. Her friend picked up on the third ring with her usual cheery hello.

"Hey Kathy." Angela sat down heavily on the couch, her right leg dangling over the armrest. "Did you hear that Brad Gooding asked me to prom?"

Katherine squealed. "That is too cool! Did you say yes?"

Angela shook her head. "Nope, I didn't."

"But why! He is just the hottest guy in the twelve grade. Every girl wants to date him!"

"Kathy, he's a jerk." She glanced at the front door to see her mother walking in. She waved and smiled then returned to her conversation. "Keaton Groves asked me."

Katherine moaned. "Don't tell me you said yes."

"And why not?" Angela hated how people treated Keaton. "I mean he's a really good guy just have to get past the freak."

"Yeah sure. I never understood why you hang out with him. You know he's going to go wearing his crappy clothing and all those piercings." Her friend paused for a moment then sighed heavily. "You know that's going to look real bad for you when you walk into the prom with the school's top loner. It'll look like something."

"I don't want to be..." She paused as her mother approached her. "Yeah mom."

"I would like to talk to you."

Angela sighed then sat up straighter on the couch. "Well, Kathy that was my mom she wants to talk to me."

"Probably about the mistake that your about to make." Kathy sound really disappointed. "Talk to you tomorrow."

When she got off the phone with Katherine, Angela stood up to look her mom in the face. "What's up mom?"

"Heard you're going to prom with Keaton." Her mother gave Angela a big hug. "It's about time you find somebody nice to go with."

Angela sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "Thanks dad." She heard a knock on the door and quickly pulled away. "Mom, that's him so don't say anything stupid." She looked at her father who was digging around in the refrigerator. "That includes you, dad."

When Angela opened the door she gasped at Keaton's face. He had a nasty black eye which made it swell close and he had a nasty bruise on his right cheek. He pushed pass her then went to the guest room where he closed the door.

Pulling away from the refrigerator Walker looked up in time to see Keaton brush pass Angela. He knew instantly that something was wrong, just by the young man's demeanor. Closing the door he went up to Angela who seemed surprised at her friends reaction.

His daughter looked up at him shaking her head. "Keaton's father hit him again."

Walker rubbed Angela's shoulders. "He'll be all right. Just let him vent a bit." He smiled. "How about a quick drive?"

She wiped away a stray tear and took a deep breath, "Why?"

He laughed. "I forgot to get parmesan cheese when I went to the store. Since the lasagna takes thirty minutes to cook that should give us plenty of time to get back."

Angela shrugged still saddened at what happened to her friend. "Why not? Keaton won't talk yet and I have nothing else to do."

"All right." Walker patted his daughter's shoulder then turned to Alex as he grabbed his keys. "Alex, Angie and I are going to the store real quick. Be back in ten."

Alex smiled at them. "Sure thing." She gave Walker some extra money. "Get something for desert while your at it."

He gave his wife a kiss. "Sure thing. What do you want?"

"Oh, anything is fine. I know you will pick out something good."

Five minutes later Walker pulled up to the general store/gas station down the street from where they live. It was a small store mainly used for farmers and people like Walker to get important items real quick. Luckily the owner also keeps unimportant items in stock as well.

Quickly Walker and Angela got the parmesan cheese and homemade brownies, made from the store's owner along with some soda for Keaton. Once inside the truck Angela swiftly turned the radio to her favorite rock station not giving her father a chance to argue.

Walker rolled his eyes at the deafening sound. "That's not music." He grumbled then gave her a grin. "You can keep it on this station."

"Thanks dad." She looked at the dashboard clock. "Look, we're ahead of schedule." She laughed. "Mom, will be surprised."

As he pulled out of the parking lot Walker unexpectedly got a deep fear in the back of his mind. He hasn't felt this way since he retired from the Rangers, why was he feeling it now? He quickly glanced at his daughter to notice she too seemed to have tensed up as well. _Nothing is going to happen_, he thought as he kept his attention on the road. _Nothing is going to happen._

He came to the only intersection on the way to their house saw that no one was there and went ahead. When he safely passed through he almost let out a sigh of relief.

"So, for prom do you want a limo?" He asked to get his attention away from the "feeling".

Angela looked at him surprised. "So, you're going to let me go?"

"Your mom wants you to go." He shrugged then gave her his goofy smile. "Besides, it's your senior prom."

Angela gave her father a quick hug. "Did you go to your senior prom?"

Walker laughed. "Couldn't afford it."

A vehicle with no headlights suddenly appeared in front of them which made Walker curse. With no street lights on the road he didn't see the truck till it was right on them. Swinging the wheel quickly to the right he managed to get himself between the truck and Angela. He glanced at his daughter as the truck collided right into the driver's side with a sickening boom.


	2. Chapter 2

Before Angela could even grasp what happened to them she was being thrown around, her seatbelt digging deep into her chest. She could hear glass shattering all around her along with screams of metal that made her ears hurt. Somebody began to yell, but she didn't know if it was her or her father. Almost as abruptly as the hit her body jerked to the right, stopping instantly.

She kept her eyes closed as she kept listening to the truck hiss and groan. Moaning she finally tried to open her eyes, but winced as that caused her pain. Something was stuck in her left eye making it impossible to open. Ever so slowly she opened her right to see the headlights were angled funny. Confused she looked out her window and saw the pavement.

"Dad." She said her voice soft. "Dad, what happened?" When she got no answer she gradually turned her head to see her father laying very still over the steering wheel. "Dad." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Please talk to me."

When her father didn't answer she gradually reached out for his hand and held it. His fingers slightly curled around hers making her cry even harder. This made her chest hurt and her eye to sting, but she pushed it aside. Her father was alive, they both made it through the accident.

"I'm not going to let go, dad." She began to sob. "Hang on dad. Just hang on."

She leaned her head back, which was difficult to do with her hanging upside down and closed her good eye. Just a quick drive to the local general store changed their lives in one brief, terrible instant. She didn't even know if her father was even okay, but she could feel the warmth in his hand which told her he was very much alive. She gently squeezed and he gradually squeezed back while taking a deep coughing breath.

Angela smiled through her tears. "You're alive."

Her father tried to move however that must have caused him pain. He let out a deep moan then another cough. "What happened?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I really don't know." She glanced out her window to see feet approaching. "Dad, help is here." She turned to her father. "Please, stay with me."

A young man appeared next to her with a large bag in his hands. "Hey there, my name is Griffin. Where you hurting at?"

Angela tried to lift her arm but was quickly stopped by Griffin. "My eye and my ribs."

"Are your legs bothering you any?"

She gently moved her toes which caused some pain to go up her legs. "Yeah, I can feel my legs." Turning to her dad she saw that a woman was helping him out. "How's my father?"

"His being taken care of." Griffin said with a smile then took a long deep breath. "Since your upside down it's going to be a little tricky and painful to get you out." He turned as a woman approached with a backboard. "This here is Sally she works for Medivac. We're going to get you out." He checked her pulse then gently touched her left eye. "What's your name?"

"Angela." Angela winced as he touched her ribs. "That hurts."

"All right, feel some broken ribs." Griffin placed a neck-brace around Angie's small neck making her wince. "Do you know what happened?"

Flashes of headlights and metal went before her mind. "I think a car wreck."

"Okay." Griffin then moved over so Sally could take over.

Sally checked Angela's pulse again then opened up her medical bag. "Angie, we'll get you and your father out of here." She placed an IV in Angela's arm then smiled. "Don't worry everything is going to be just fine."

At the ranch house Alex checked on the lasagna then sat down at the dining room table expecting Walker and Angela home at any minute. Glancing at her watch she saw that fifteen minutes had passed since they went to the grocery store. She was about to get up and check the lasagna again when Keaton stepped up to her.

Seeing his swollen eye and cheek she couldn't help but to gasp. "Oh, Keaton."

He shrugged her off. "Ain't nothin. Thanks for letting me stay here for a bit."

"Oh, it's no problem." The phone rang and she smiled. "Dinner is about to start so why don't you get yourself cleaned up." She went to the phone and picked it up. "Walker's residence."

"Mrs. Walker this is Officer Bennett." Said the voice on the other end.

Alex quickly grabbed the counter and closed her eyes. "Are they okay?"

"We don't know. We got a call from Mr. Groves neighbor, Mr. Hardy saying that he had heard a lot of commotion going on in the apartment. When we went in to check nobody was there, but there was a suicide letter." Officer Bennett sighed heavily. "Mr. Groves is going to commit suicide and take Mr. Walker and your daughter with him."

"Where is he?" She shakily placed her hand at her mouth. "Walker, is late coming home from the grocery store."

Keaton walked in looking really confused. "What's wrong?"

Alex held up her hand. "Can you please check to see if there was an accident on Appleton Road." When the officer agreed to she nodded. "Okay, I'll be by the phone."

As she hung up the phone she turned to Keaton not knowing what to say. She took a deep breath she turned the oven off then motioned for both of them to sit at the dining room table. Keaton looked at her with his deep green eyes as though he was trying to read into Alex's soul.

"What happened? It's my dad, right?"

She slowly nodded. "Yes." She took hold of his hand, but he pulled it away. "He's going to commit suicide tonight and he's going to..." She swallowed hard. "He's going to kill Walker and Angela."

"What the fuck!" He rubbed his hand through his spiked hair. "Sorry. You're kidding right?"

"I'm afraid not, that was an officer that I got off the phone with." She took a deep breath. "Would your father really do something like this?"

Keaton shrugged. "I don't know. I mean his only taken his anger out on me..." His voice trailed off as he buried his head into his hands. "Shit, what did I do?"

"What's wrong?" Alex began to get worried. "Did he say anything?"

He shook his head. "When he started arguing with me I told him that Walker was a better father to me then he was. Shit, I didn't mean for him to do this."

The phone rang and Alex quickly went to pick it up, ignoring the young man's cursing. "Walker residence?"

"This is Officer Bennett again. There has been an accident called in about thirty minutes ago. Rescue personal just arrived at the scene ten minutes ago."

"Thank you." Alex hung up and grabbed her car keys. "There's been an accident."

"Are we going to check it out?"

Alex nodded, trying so hard not to tear up. "Sure are. Hopefully we get to see if it's them or not."


	3. Chapter 3

Pain shot up Angela's left leg as the paramedics slowly moved her out of the vehicle. She didn't want to let go of her father's hand, but knew no matter how much she argued she was going first. Looking at the truck she was amazed that both of them were still alive. It was barely recognizable being on it's top with the driver's side completely smashed in.

Sally looked down at her smiling. "Your going to be just fine."

Angela began to sob again. "What about my father?"

The woman gave her light a pat on the shoulder. "His going to be just fine."

"You're lying." She tried to get up, even though Sally held her down. "I don't want to go yet until my father is out." She heard her father screaming as one of the firemen cut away a piece of metal. This terrified her. "What is wrong with my father? What are you doing to him!"

Sally again patted Angela's shoulder. "He's trapped, but we're trying our best to free him." She looked up as a car approached the blocked street. "Let's take you to the hospital, okay?"

"But I want to stay with my father!" Angela heard her mother calling and looked that way. "Mom!"

She could see her mother being held back by an officer. "Angie, I'm right here!"

Angela looked up at Sally with a pleading eye. Her left was still swollen shut. "Can my mom see me?"

"Sure sweetie." Sally went and got Angela's mom who she explained what had happened. "All right Angela, here's your mom."

Angela smiled as soon as she saw her mother. "Hey, mom." She tried to control her crying, tried to be strong for her mother who was beginning to whimper. She slowly reached towards her mother with her right hand. "Don't worry everything is going to be okay."

Her mother took hold of Angela's hand with both of hers. "I know." She took a deep, shaky breath. "How's your father? Is he okay?"

"He's still trapped." She heard him yell again and turned to her mother to see that she had paled considerably. Her mother shouldn't be here, shouldn't see her dad like this. "Mom, why don't you wait in the car. You don't need to see what is happening."

"Okay." She wiped away a tear. "I'll be at the hospital waiting for you guys."

Angela smiled. "Okay, mom. Don't worry everything is going to be okay."

After seeing her daughter Alex didn't know if she could actually drive to the hospital. Angela looked so terrible especially her left eye which seemed pretty swollen. Wonder how Walker was? If her daughter appeared that way, she can't even put her mind on her husband's condition especially since he was still trapped in the truck.

She came up to the car and went to the passenger side. "Can you drive Keaton?"

Keaton appeared shocked then puzzled. "Yeah, you want me to drive?"

"Yeah, I don't think I could do it."

Upon hearing his wife's voice Walker's heart began to beat faster knowing that he couldn't die, not right now. A sharp pain ran down his arm causing him to scream out once again. What are the paramedics doing to him? Whatever it was, it didn't feel all that great and he didn't like it.

"What are you doing?" He finally asked through gasps of air.

Paramedic Sean sighed heavily. "Sorry Mr. Walker, your left arm is jammed in pretty tight. We'retrying to cut it out now."

Walker gritted his teeth as a slight vibration raced up his arm. "Is that why..." He began to cough causing his ribs to hurt. "How's my daughter?"

"Don't worry, she's out and in route to the hospital." Sean glanced at Walker's baldy damaged arm then held it as the paramedics cut another piece of metal away. "Can you still feel your fingers?"

Very slowly Walker moved his fingers. "Yeah." He took a deep breath then grunted out in pain as the paramedic pulled his arm free from its metallic prison. "How bad?"

"Ain't going to lie to you, it's bad." Sean patted Walker's shoulder. "All right we're oing to slowly get you out of here." He placed a backboard inside the truck. "You're one very lucky man, Walker. If you didn't have those side airbags you could be dead right now."

"I owe my wife a huge thanks." Walker sucked in air as he was cut from his seatbelt and was brought to a laying position. In this new position fire like pain went up his back which made him hiss. "My back…" He tightened his right hand into a fist. "…oh man it hurts."

"All right. We got a helicopter waiting for you. You're going to be just fine."

Walker glanced back at his badly damaged truck and saw another much larger pick-up twenty feet away. "How's the other driver?"

Sean glanced over at the abandoned truck. "Don't really know. Nobody was inside when we arrived. I take it his all right since he ran off." He gave his attention back to Walker. "Can you move your fingers on your left hand?"

Walker tried to move his fingers, but got pain instead. "No. How bad is it Sean?"

"It's going to be all right." Sean smiled down at Walker. "You and your daughter are very lucky."

**At Methodist Hospital**

She has never been so scared before in her life and desperately wanted her parents by her side. A woman gingerly touched her injured left eye which made her wince. Another doctor must be checking out her left ankle as a sharp pain made her sob. She wanted her parents, wanted them to assure her that everything was okay.

"It's okay." A young male doctor appeared in her vision. "I'm going to give you something for the pain." He stuck a needle in her right arm then patted her shoulder. "Where else are you hurting at?" Very gently he placed his hand on her stomach. "Does this hurt when I push?"

Angela tried to shake her head, but found she couldn't because of the neck brace. For some reason this scared her even more. "No." She began to whimper harder which made her ribs hurt. "My chest hurts and my right left leg hurts." X-rays were taken of several of her limbs and joints. Then a few were taken of her chest and face. "I want to see my dad."

"He's doing okay." She glanced at the door then back at Angela. "He's here now. Don't worry, he's in good hands."

The scariest thing to Walker wasn't the fact he had no feeling in his legs, but the fact somebody had deliberately ran into their vehicle. And now his daughter laid in a hospital bed, probably scared and wondering how he was. As the paramedics pushed his stretcher through the halls he tried desperately to get a glimpse of his daughter, but he couldn't move his head.

Frustrated he pulled at the restraints holding his arms down which nearly made his scream in pain from the stabbing sensation in his left arm. "I want to see my daughter."

"Stay still." Sean glanced up at the team of doctors as they wheeled Walker into a brightly lit room. "Compound fracture in the left arm and ankle, possible head injury." He helped the team lift Walker onto a hospital bed which jarred his chest and arm enough to make him wince. "High chance he has a back injury. He has severe pain in the back, no feeling below the ribs."

A doctor quickly pried open Walker's eyes with two fingers to shine a light into them. "Where's my daughter?" He followed the light as the man slowly moved it back and forth. "Please, I need to know if she's okay." His voice showed pain, but he also couldn't believe how desperate it sounded.

"She's in the room next door." The man clicked the light off then gently pressed on Walker's stomach which made him wince. "Good, so you do feel that?"

"A little bit." Walker swallowed hard as realization suddenly hit him. Sean had said he suffered a compound fracture in his ankle. With an injury that severe he should be feeling it, but all he felt was a slight tingling sensation in both his legs. "I have pain in my back."

The team of doctors gently rolled him over to his side then began to feel down his spine. A tender spot lower down his back made him wince and tighten his hands into fists. They lowered him onto his back once more then began to cut away his clothing. He hated when they did this, he went through so many pairs of shirts and jeans because of his frequent trips to the hospital.

"Flip him one more time." X-rays were taken of his back then he was gently laid backed down. "Don't worry, you're in good hands."


	4. Chapter 4

**One Hour Later**

The news about Walker and Angela had hit her hard and right now Alex sat in the waiting room being comforted by Sydney and Erica. Their daughter made it out of the accident with only a few broken bones and cuts. Even her eye should fully heal once the glass was removed. However, Walker wasn't as lucky. He had put his body in between Angela's and the truck that hit them. That meant he had taken the full, brunt force of the horrible crash.

From what the doctor told her he had suffered a serious injury to his back, which may leave him paralyzed. On top of that, he had compound fractures of the left arm and ankle. Walker will be in surgery for several hours which means they won't know his true condition till early in the morning. She just hoped he'll be able to walk again. And if he did, he would still have a long road ahead of him.

She whimpered as the thought of Walker not able to walk hit her hard. How will they cope? More importantly, how will Angela take to the news? Tears streamed down her face which made Sydney hug her more tightly.

"Keaton's back." Sydney rubbed Alex's back. "Very soon we can go see Angela."

Alex rubbed her face then smiled at Keaton. "How are you Keaton?"

"Doing all right, considering." He wiped his face then took a deep shaky breath. "They can't find my dad." His shoulders began to quiver more as he started to break down. "Alex, what did I do?" He finally let the tears flow that he has been holding in for the last hour. "I did this."

"No, sweetie. No you didn't." Alex quickly got up and gave Keaton a big hug. As she did he collapsed into her arms and began to sob. "Oh Keaton." This boy, who she has known for ten years was like a son to her and it just tore at her heart to see him like this. "Let's sit down."

Keaton let out a few deep cries then pulled away to wipe his face with his shirt sleeve. "I want to see Angie and Walker."

Trivette smiled at the young teen. "We'll be able to see Angie in a few. Walker is still in surgery. We'll be able to see him in a few hours or so."

He slowly nodded. "If it's okay, can I get Angie and Walker something?"

Alex gave Keaton another big hug. "We can sure do that."

**ER Recovery Room **

The pain had subsided all thanks to the medication that the nurses had put into Angela through an IV. She swallowed hard then glanced at the door, wondering when her parents would arrive.

Wait, her father was still in surgery. She began to tear up again just thinking about her father and how he looked when she lost him. He had put his life before hers, taking the full force of the vehicle that hit them.

She rubbed her face as tears flooded from her eyes. It slightly stung her left, which had a huge gauze bandage over it. "Mom, where are you?"

A doctor walked up to her and patted her shoulder. "They're on their way. How's the pain?"

"It's okay." Angela's voice quivered. "How's my dad?"

"He's going to be okay." The doctor made her a little more comfortable by tucking in the thick blanket that covered her body then smiled. "Your mom will be here shortly. We're going to let you recover a bit before we let your family in."

With that she was left alone yet again with her thoughts. The last time she was in the hospital she was nine years old and it was after she had gotten kidnapped. She still got nightmares about the worse three days of her life. During the rescue she had been severely wounded and nearly died. It took her nearly a year of grueling pain to get back to normal. Being young she was scared and confused at what had happened to her. Now she knew exactly why she got injured and yet she was still scared.

"Sweetie!" Her mom came walking into the room, a smile on her face. "Oh, Angela!"

"Mom!" Angela quickly gave her mother a big hug, ignoring the pain in her chest. "Where's dad! Is he all right?"

Her mother ran a hand across her face. "He's fine sweetie. He's still in surgery and will be for awhile." She gently laid her daughter back onto the bed. "How are you?"

"I'm okay." Angela beamed as Keaton came walking into her room. "Hey!"

Keaton smiled at her. "I'm glad to see you're okay." He took hold of her hand. "Don't worry, if your mom says its okay, I'll stay here by your side."

Alex gave the young boy a hug. "Stay as long as you need to."

**Somewhere in Dallas**

How could he have been such an idiot? Of course trying to kill them that way wouldn't have worked and now he wished he had just gone up to the house and shot them. Maybe the next time around he would. Right now he had to hide out at a motel to recover from the accident that went horribly wrong. Lucky for him his truck was much older and much larger then the one he had rammed into. He only suffered a few bruised ribs and cuts, which he should easily heal from.

He sat down wearily in the worn out dining chair, a beer in his right hand and a newspaper in the other. Well, hopefully he messed that Ranger up good and as for his good for nothing daughter, he hoped she learned her lesson. She always faked her kindness to Keaton and his poor boy was too gullible to see. And that Ranger, just thinking about him made him fume with anger. How _dare _he become a father to his son! What right does he have? Keaton deserves to be raised the way _he _wants him to be raised.

"He needs discipline!" He stood up, chugged down his beer then threw the bottle on the floor. "How dare Keaton tell me that I'm nothing. That the Ranger is a better father then me!"

A knock came at his door which he quickly opened. "About time you showed up!"

His friend, Darrel Peters came in with a shake of his head. "Man, you really messed up this time!" He gave Sam Groves a pat on the shoulder and handed him more beer. "So, what do you have planned?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know, Darrel. No idea what I'm going to do, but that Ranger needs to pay!"

"What did he do to you?" Laughed Sam.

"He took away my son!"

**Early in the Morning**

The first feeling that greeted him as he came to from the anesthesia was pain so intense he wanted to fall asleep again. Very slowly he rolled his head around, hoping that somebody was nearby to see his discomfort. Sure enough he got a friendly pat on his shoulder as the pain slowly ebbed away. He sighed heavily then allowed his body to relax into a deep sleep.

Alex with Trivette by her side headed towards the recovery room where they had placed Walker after his grueling ten hour surgery to repair his damaged bones. As they approached his room, a doctor came up to them with a smile on his face.

"He made it through surgery just fine. We were able to repair the damage done to his ankle and wrist. However, he may have some nerve damage to his hand, we won't know till the swelling goes down. We inserted pins and screws in both the wrist and ankle. We also have an external fixators on both the limbs, so it may take you for a surprise to see metal bars coming out of his skin." He took a deep breath. "The major surgery was on his back. He broke the T8 and T9 vertebrae, some pieces did break off, but they did not hit his spinal cord. So, we won't know if he is paralyzed till the swelling goes down. But the chances are good, that once the swelling does goes down, with physical therapy he will walk again."

"That's great news." Alex sighed heavily as the tears began to flood out of her eyes. "Can I see him now?"

"Sure, he's sleeping right now and heavily medicated. Follow me."

They followed the doctor till they reached a curtained off room where they heard beeping and other machines at work. As the doctor pulled back the curtain Alex nearly collapsed to her knees. Walker laid in a bed covered with a sheet from mid-torso on down. She could see deep bruising on his chest where the seatbelt had kept him secured and more bruising on his left side. His breathing was slightly labored, thankfully he had a breathing tube in his mouth.

"He suffered from a few broken and bruised ribs. Right now the endotracheal tube in his mouth is from surgery. Once he wakes up and begins breathing on his own, we'll take it out. If he wakes up, try to keep him still. We don't want him moving around with his broken back."

Trivette gave Alex a strong, reassuring hug. "Thanks, doctor."

The doctor smiled. "No problem. My name is Doctor Stevens if you have any questions."

Alex nodded then ever so slowly made her way towards her husband's beside. Her breath caught in her throat at how badly Walker looked. He was rather pale, bruises covered most of his chest and cuts covered his face. He had a thick bandage wrapped around his mid-section which covered the worst of the bruising. Then her eyes went to his left side where he saw the bars Doctor Stevens was talking about.

Her hand went to her mouth as she took hold of his right hand which had many tubes and needles stuck into the back. She gently began to rub her thumb back and forth, tracing the bones. She switched hands so she can carefully brush his face and as she ran her finger down his cheek his eyes began to flutter.

"Walker, honey you made it through surgery." She wiped away a stray tear. "I'll be right here, to help you through this." His eyes kept fluttering as the tube hissed and clicked inside his mouth. "Keep fighting, cowboy."

**Later in the Afternoon**

The pain seemed to take over his entire body, but he had to fight through it, he couldn't give up. He licked his lips then tried to force his eyes open which actually was quite hard to do. A hand grabbed his right, gently squeezed it then began to slowly rub the back. This made him relax through the pain and slowly open his eyes. It took some time before his eyes finally adjusted themselves and when they did he saw Alex smiling above him.

"Alex." He smiled as he squeezed her hand. "How's Angela?"

"She's doing great. In fact, she's going to be released in a few hours." Her hand fell against his cheek which gave him much needed comfort. "How are you feeling?"

He licked his lips once again then looked in her the eyes. "Okay, considering." His voice was strained from the pain that went over his body. "Did the driver get caught?"

Alex shook her head. "No, but Jimmy is out there right now looking for him." She squeezed his hand once again. "I'm so glad you're alive." Her eyes began to tear up. "You're going to be okay now. Everything is all right."

A wave of pain shot through Walker's left leg which made him wince. "How is my leg and arm?"

"They're okay. Can you feel your legs?" Alex's voice cracked as she said this.

He was about to ask his wife why when realization suddenly hit him. The doctor had said he broke his back and there was swelling which didn't allow for him to feel his legs. But right now, he felt the pain that shot up his ankle in fire like waves. He actually let out a smile which made Alex cry even harder.

"My ankle hurts like hell." He squeezed her hand. "It's going to be okay, Alex." He let go of her hand so he could brush away her tears. "I'm going to walk again, don't worry."


	5. Chapter 5

**Three Weeks Later**

Days went by ever so slowly and painfuly for Walker as he sat on his bed, recovering from his wounds from the car crash that was meant to kill him and his daughter. Right now he laid on a hospital bed, allowing the doctors to clean the areas around the metal bars. In just a few more days he'll be allowed to go home, but he had to take it very careful. His back was still rather weak and he had to make sure he always wore his back brace. He didn't want to ruin the chances of him walking again.

His nurse, Henry Yearling smiled down at him then patted his shoulder. "Looks like you're healing nicely. But we need to take x-rays to make sure." He checked Walker's IVs then pushed the bed bars up. "How's the pain today?"

Walker shrugged. "Better then it has been before." He glanced down to his left wrist still not accustomed to seeing the bars that stuck out his arm. "Just glad I can feel my legs a little more."

Henry gave Walker a nod as a team of nurses came into his room. "And you should be able to feel your legs much more as the swelling keeps going down." He took off the IV bag and attached it to the bed. "Hopefully, once that ankle heals enough we can start having you walk."

"I would love that." Walker crossed his right arm over his still sore chest as he rested his left on the bed's soft mattress. The weight of the bars made it hard for him to move the arm. "I hope that moment comes soon."

"Knowing you, it will." The bed was pushed out of the room and down the hallway. "How's the wife and kid, Walker?"

Walker smiled at the mention of his family. "Doing really good. Alex has gone back to taking court cases and Angela is being home schooled. Her eye is doing great, still slightly red and slightly bruised." He winced as he felt a needle being jabbed into his arm. "You always do that." His voice began to slur. "I'm going to get you sometime for this."

Henry patted Walker's shoulder. "It's to help you out buddy. Don't want you moving around too much. This will take about an hour."

**Walker's Residence**

It didn't seem right for him to be here, he was the one that did this to the Walker family. Why was he here? He wondered onto the back porch where he had some privacy. It felt so weird staying here, though he has done so on numerous occasions. But now it just seemed awkward knowing Walker was still in the hospital and Angela couldn't go to school. Why did this have to happen? Why did he do this to the Walker family?

He sighed heavily as he sat down on the swing, his mind constantly on his father. If he didn't say those words to his father, none of this would have happened. He rubbed his face, his fingers stopping at the two piercings over his left brow. Why did he dress the way he did? Was it to annoy his father? The Walkers have been talking to him about taking him in till he turned eighteen. But then, where would he go? Should he change, to honor them?

"Man, I've really screwed my life up." He pulled his hands away from his face to get a look at the beautiful pasture before him. "Angela, you're so lucky to live a life like this." A tear fell from his face which he quickly wiped away as he heard footsteps on the porch. "Sorry, I just needed…"

"It's okay." Alex's sat down next to him, a bag in her hands. "I hope you don't mind, I went to an art store and got you a few things." She handed the bag to Keaton then slowly stood up. "We're going to see Walker later this afternoon. Do you want to come along?"

Keaton stared at the bag in his hands, unsure of what was just said to him. He slowly nodded his head then waited for Alex to leave before he opened the bag. Nobody ever gave him anything to do with art before and this was a lot of stuff. What he could see were several drawing pads, charcoal pencil set, art markers, color pencils, everything he needed as a fledgling artist. Why would she give him all this stuff, especially after what he did to her family?

He pulled out the set of charcoal pencils then a drawing pad. It has been over two weeks since he last sketched, wonder if he could still do it. He pulled out the softest lead pencil, flipped open the pad then leaned back to look at the fields. Slowly he began to sketch, his mind already picturing what he wanted to put on paper.

The house seemed empty without her father's presence around and all Angela wanted was for him to be home with them. Just a few more days and he'll be back here where he belongs. Unfortunately he will be bed ridden and will have to take it safe for awhile. She smiled at the thought of him coming home soon and went to the spare bedroom which has been turned into a hospital room for her father. Hopefully they can return this room back to how it use to be.

She ran her finger across the dresser's top then turned her attention to the hospital bed. Why did her father put his life before hers? She knew it was a parent thing to do, but she just couldn't understand what had gone through her father's mind as the truck came at them. Did he think that her life was more important then his? Was that because she was so young and he, so old? Will she ever get the answers from her father? He hardly ever talked about his past or events that has happened to him as a Ranger and she never understood why.

Her mother came walking in with a few pictures, placed them on the table next to the bed then went to Angela. She gave her a tight hug then a kiss on the forehead. For the last few weeks her mother babied her, always asking Angela if she was okay. It annoyed her to no end, but Angela had to understand that her mother almost lost her family that day.

"How you feeling today, sweetie?" Her mother began to play with Angela's straight blonde hair. "I hope the eye isn't bothering you too much."

"Mom, I told you I'm fine." She gently pulled her hair away from her mother's hands. "When are we going to see dad?"

"In a few minutes. Keaton is coming along." She patted Angela's shoulder then turned to the bed. "It's going to take some getting use to with dad back home." She went and sat down on the bed. "You're going to have to help out a bit."

Angela smiled. "Anything for dad." She turned to her mother. "I'm going to see what Keaton's doing. Going to pick some wildflowers for dad while I'm out there."

**Methodist Hospital**

He had an hour and thirty minutes of rest after the x-rays were taken before they started physical therapy. Walker gritted his teeth as the nurse flexed his left hand, making pain to shoot up his arm. He had most of the feeling in his hand, however his fingers always got cold and his thumb, pinky and ring finger always felt as though they were asleep. Not only that, he had a painful tingling sensation in his elbow which wasn't even injured. The doctor told him it was because of the nerve damage done to his wrist and hopefully it will heal in time.

"I know it's painful, but it has to be done." Nurse Mary Allen patted his shoulder. "Okay, sweetie now let's see if you can make a fist."

Very slowly Walker began to make a fist realizing as he always did for the past few weeks he had problems moving his thumb and pinky finger. Mary had him do this for several minutes then went to his left leg, which was the most painful to work on. Gradually she lifted his leg then began to bend his knee. He let out a deep breath as muscles which hasn't been used in weeks got stretched. Because he couldn't walk, the muscles in his legs always got tight. Which meant painful physical therapy.

Mary moved his legs for several minutes then patted his thigh. "Okay, I got hold of your right foot. Now start pushing."

Walker took a deep breath then began to push as hard as he could. "Any improvement, Mary?"

"Sure is. You're slowly getting your strength back." She turned her attention to the door. "Looks like the family is here." She waved them in and told them to have a seat. "Just another thirty minutes and I'll be done here."

Alex sat down on a chair then watched as Mary helped her husband through his physical therapy. It hurt her so much to see Walker like this, but at least he was improving. She could see him gaining strength every day and she nearly shed a tear out of happiness. Hopefully in time he'll be back to normal.

Angela took hold of her hand and squeezed it. "Mom, are you okay?"

She smiled at her daughter. "I'm doing great, just happy to see your father doing so well." She wiped a tear from her eyes. "Keaton, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing great. Thanks again for the art supplies." He hid his drawing from her. "Sorry, still working on it."

"That's all right." She gave Keaton a gentle hug then returned her attention to her husband. "How you doing, Walker?"

Walker slowly nodded his head. "Doing better each day." Mary began to move his right leg up and down then told him to push. Alex nearly shed another tear as she saw Walker pushing, though it was just a twitch she was thrilled to see even that. "I'll be walking in no time."

Mary patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, I'll leave you with your family."

Once the nurse was out of the room, Angela stood up and went to her dad's bedside. She took hold of his left hand then kissed him lightly on the forehead. He took hold of her hand as a smile spread across his face. Alex loved the look he gave Angela, it was a look only a father would give his daughter. He loved Angela so much and she knew the pain he was feeling always melted away when she went to his side.

Alex got up and to her husband's side. "Hey, cowboy." She gave him a kiss on the lips then glanced down at the cumbersome back brace. "How's the back?"

"It's doing good." His voice however told her otherwise. "Just wish I could move freely."

Very slowly he pushed himself upwards on the bed so he was able to talk to his wife and daughter better. This put him in a slight sitting position and Alex quickly saw the discomfort on his face. She motioned for Angela to get a few spare pillows from the stack placed on a spare chair. However Keaton had beaten her to it and went to Walker's left side with two pillows in his hands. With his help they got Walker to lean forward so they can place the pillow under him, one above the other.

Walker gently leaned back, happy to have the pillows which helped support him better. "Thanks, Keaton." He smiled at the young boy who was like a son to him.

Keaton patted Walker's shoulder. "I'm doing good." He lifted up his sketch pad. "Thank you."

"No problem. You have a great gift." Walker grimaced as the pain in his back and limbs began to intensify. He felt Alex place something in his hand and he knew it was the morphine button.

"Thanks." He pushed the button which sent a rush of liquid to his veins.

Alex kissed him once again on the cheek. "Sleep well, cowboy."


	6. Chapter 6

**One Month Later**

Life at the Walker's house seemed to return back to normal and with Keaton now living with them, their family seemed whole and much happier. Not only that, Walker's injuries has healed enough for him to finally move around using a wheelchair. He still had to wear the back brace, that won't be taken off till another four months. As for his other injuries, his wrist now had on a thick soft brace, but still ached especially when he had to wheel himself around. As for his ankle he had to have another surgery two days ago to fix the tendons which meant the halo still remained around the bottom half of his leg. It was highly painful, especially during physical therapy. Though excruciating as it was to put weight on that foot it had to be done to get him walking again. He had seventy-five percent feeling in his legs, however he still had problems moving them. But he will walk, even if it was at a slow pace, he just had to give it time.

Right now, Walker found himself sitting in his wheelchair, by the sofa reading the morning's newspaper. His left leg sat uncomfortably straight from his body, a pillow under his ankle to relieve some of the pressure. It always got stiff being stuck inside the brace and he couldn't wait to get the halo off.

Footsteps came down the stairs and he turned to see his daughter dressed and ready for school. She smiled at him then went to the kitchen to get breakfast for herself. It has been over two months since Keaton's father was last seen which led authorities to believe that it was safe for them to go back to school. He didn't think so, but that was the parent talking inside of him.

Speaking of Keaton, where is that kid? He unlocked his breaks then slowly wheeled his way to the kitchen to see his daughter eating a bowl of cereal. She smiled at him then continued eating while she reread a chapter in a textbook.

"Have you seen Keaton this morning?"

She looked at the microwave clock then shrugged her shoulders. "Not today. I'll check on him after I finish eating my cereal."

Keaton rubbed his face on the pillow, turned his head to the clock on the bed side table then bolted up in bed. "I must have hit the snooze button!" He quickly got out of bed, ran to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. "No! I can't believe this happened!"

Angela laughed as she watched Keaton run around. "Don't worry, we got about ten minutes before we leave for school."

He turned to her and shook his head. "I'm glad you're not worried."

**Later at a High School**

The past month Keaton worked really hard to change his appearance, to honor the Walker family. When he came back to school he quickly noticed several people looking at him strange. He knew it was because of how he dressed and how he carried himself. No longer did he wear all black, instead he actually wore denim jeans and t-shirts. He also allowed his hair to began growing out, which now left him with black tips.

He walked through the crowded halls as he headed towards his English class and as he rounded a corner he ran right into Brad Peterson. The jock began to laugh then pushed Keaton into the wall. Keaton grimaced as the books in his bag dug into his back.

"So, I see you've changed, Keaton." He shoved Keaton into the wall one more time then released him. "I hear Angie is going to the prom with you. What do you have that I don't?"

Keaton shifted his bag then shook his head. "Just leave me alone, okay." He tried to walk away, but was pushed back by one of Brad's friends, Joshua Keel. "I need to get to class."

Joshua laughed then pulled at Keaton's t-shirt. "What is this, trying to be one of us?"

"No." Keaton shook his head. "Just leave me alone!"

"What's going on here?" Said a voice from behind Brad and his gang.

Brad quickly turned around. "Mr. Valentine, what a coincidence you will show up now."

"Leave now, Mr. Peterson." Mr. Valentine crossed his arms as the teens left. "Are you okay, Keaton?"

"Yeah, I am." Keaton rolled his eyes as the bell rang. "Great, I'm late for class now." His voice faded off as the teacher handed him a hall pass. "Thanks."

In the English classroom Angela checked the clock wondering where in the world Keaton was. He was never late for class, except if Brad gave him problems. She sighed heavily as she took out the reading materials and the textbook from her backpack. As she took out her binder Keaton came walking in with a pass.

He made his way down the desks then sat down in the one next to hers. "Don't ask."

She nodded. "I know." She flipped open the textbook to the page written on the dry erase board that sat in front of the class. "Oh, Trivette left a message for me. We'll have to pick up my dad on our way home. Trivette has to do something with Marc."

"How is Marc? I haven't seen him since he transferred to the Science and Technology School of Texas."

Angela smiled. "He's doing great. Much happier." She shook her head. "Can't believe he's fifteen and already a junior in high school. Wish I was that smart."

Keaton had a laugh at this. "Angela, your valedictorian of our class." He saw the teacher's irritated scowl directed right towards them. "Well, we should get back to school work before Mrs. Hanson has a fit."

**Rehabilitation Center**

Ever so slowly Walker made his way through the rehabilitation center, his wheelchair making no noise as he moved along. His chair didn't have armrests which made it much easier to push the wheels forward. As he reached the large room, his therapist, Johnny Bayne came out from a side room with a huge smile on his face. He patted Walker's shoulder and began to push the chair forward giving Walker a much needed break.

"So, where's Trivette or Alex today?" He asked as they came to a low, wide patted table.

"Trivette has to do something with his son today and Alex has a really big case." Walker locked the brakes then slowly began to push himself up from the chair. This got an irritated huff from Johnny who quickly hugged him under the arm pits. "Let me do it."

Johnny sighed heavily. "You just had surgery on your ankle, putting weight on it now could cause more damage." He lifted Walker up then carefully sat him down on the table then he swung Walker's legs till they rested on the pad. "All right, I'm going to began by stretching you out, then we will start on the exercises."

He took off Walker's shoe from his right foot then began to bend that leg. After several minutes of this he switched to the left leg which he lifted up really gently then began to bend. Walker gritted his teeth as pain began to throb in his ankle, but at least he could feel his legs. Just six weeks ago he couldn't feel his legs at all, so in a way he was grateful for the pain. However, they still fell asleep on occasion, which was rather annoying.

"So, how you feeling today?" Johnny slowly extended Walker's leg out then bent it again. "On a scale of one to ten, how's the pain? And I want an honest answer."

Walker nodded as he gritted his teeth. "I'm okay. Keaton is doing great though. His attitude has changed considerably since he's moved in with us." His voice was strained from the pain. "Pain, it's a five." Johnny put a little more pressure on Walker's foot which made him wince. "Okay, an eight."

"Have you taken the paid medications?" Walker didn't respond right away which got Johnny to tisk at him. "It will really help. I'm hoping you're at least taking the antibiotics." He shook his head. "The surgery site will get infected if you don't take them."

"I know. I know." Walker took a deep breath as the pain increased. "I'll take them when I'm done here." "

Johnny shook his head. "The left leg is a little stiff." He gradually lowered Walker's leg down then began to study the stitching that ran across both sides of the ankle. "Good, no inflammation, yet. You're wrapping it up at night, right?" Walker nodded. "Well, at least your doing something right." He laughed then began to move the left leg again. "Any pain in your back when I move your legs?"

He sighed heavily as the painful stretching continued. "Yeah, right at the site of the break and where they had to do surgery."

"Okay, that's expected." He turned to Walker's left wrist. "Still having problems moving fingers?"

"Yeah, the pinky and thumb." He sighed in relief as Johnny began to work on his injured arm. His happiness was short lived however as his therapist took off the brace and began to slowly rotate the wrist. "Okay, that hurts."

Johnny nodded. "It will for awhile. Don't worry, everything is looking great. Just keep doing what your doing, take the medications and you should make a good recovery."

**Outside the Rehabilitation Center, Three Hours Later**

Inside a truck parked across the hospital sat Darrell Peters smoking a cigarette as he jotted down notes in the notebook he had on his lap. For the last three weeks he has been tailing the Ranger and his entire family, figuring out their daily routines. Sam Groves wanted to scare Walker before he made the move to finally kill him. He took a long drag of his cigarette as he watched the Ranger roll out of the front door then park himself by the entrance.

He flicked the cigarette out of the open window of his truck then started it up. As he pulled out of the parking lot he made sure no officers were around before he parked in front of the entrance. Walker glanced up from his book, gave him a curious look then returned to reading.

Darrell took a deep breath then opened his driver's side door. His appearance was rather intimidating and he used that to scare his victims. He rotated his neck which cracked rather loudly then took out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket.

"I have a note for you." He had hid his eyes behind dark tinted sunglasses, his tattoos by wearing a flannel shirt. "It's from a friend."

He handed Walker the piece of paper then leaned in close to grab hold of the man's shirt. As he did, like lightening the Ranger grabbed hold of his wrist with his right hand and began to twist it down. Darrell grimaced as pain radiated up his arm which made his knees bend.

Walker twisted his arm ever so slowly. "Did Sam Groves tell you to come here?" When Darrell didn't respond, the Ranger twisted even more which got him to his knees. "Tell me now!"

Darrell grimaced then tightened his free hand into a fist. "Let go of my arm! I was just here to give you a message, nothing else!" Quickly he reached out for the Ranger's bad arm, but this got another twist to his wrist. He let out a grunt of pain then raised his arm in protest. "Okay, you win! I don't want you breaking my arm!"

"Dad!" Came a young girl's scream from behind him. "Hang on, I'm calling for help!"

He looked into Walker's eyes to see a fire in them that actually made his heart beat faster. What did he get himself into? He glanced up to see Sam's son running up to them and his eyes got wide. The teenager was no longer wearing black and he seemed to carry himself different. How did Walker change the kid's attitude in just a month?

Keaton skidded to a stop. "Darrell!" Before Darrell could raise his arm to block, the kid slammed his fist into his cheek. This got an irritated huff from Walker who remained holding onto Darrell's wrist. "Where the hell is my dad!" Keaton tried to punch him again, but was stopped by Walker. "You deserve to rot…"

"Enough!" Walker winced out as he pushed Keaton with his injured arm. "Anger isn't going to fix anything. Angela, get him away from here!"

"Ranger Walker!" Darrell turned his head to see two uniformed officers running up to him. He cursed and let his shoulder's drop as Walker let go of his arm. This allowed him to slowly raise his hands and place them above his head. He glanced up at Walker and shook his head. "This isn't over yet. Sam will get to you and your precious family."

As the officers cuffed the man and led him to a squad car, Walker turned to Keaton to see the young man favoring his hand. "Let me check your hand."

Keaton grimaced as he shook his hand. "Man, didn't know punching could hurt so bad."

Walker could see Keaton had thankfully punched right and shouldn't have any broken bones. "Next time, when your angry, think first before you act." He smiled up at Keaton. "Your hand is going to be sore, but it'll be fine."

"Sorry about that Walker." Keaton shook his head. "I let my emotions get to me."

"It happens. Trust me, I've also acted out of anger before." Walker turned as an officer approached him. "I'll make my way down to the department to give my statement." He then turned to his daughter to see her a bit shaken up. "Angela, come here."

Angela wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sorry dad, I just froze up." She sighed heavily, her voice shaking. "Does this mean that Keaton's father will show up at any time?"

"I'm not sure sweetie." He reached up and gave her a tight hug. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to the both of you."

As his daughter pulled away, Walker's attention went to a folded up piece paper on the ground. Keaton saw this, picked it up and gave it to Walker who thanked him. It was rather embarrassing to not be able to do things on his own, but he knew that the time will come when he'll be able to live life normally again. He smiled at Keaton then unfolded the piece of paper to see a detail list of his schedule along with his wife's, daughter's and even Keaton's. _So, he's letting me know he's watching me and my family_. Thought Walker as he began to wheel towards Angela's car. That means Angela and Keaton just might have to be home schooled again.

"Dad, are you okay? Are you in pain?"

Walker shook his head. "I'm fine Angela." He hated to ask his daughter to take him anywhere, but because of the halo on his leg he couldn't drive. "Can you take me to the police department?"

Angela laughed at Walker. "Dad, don't worry. I don't mind one bit." She kissed him on the forehead. "Let's get going. I called mom to tell her we'll be a little late for dinner."


	7. Chapter 7

Ten minutes later Angela found herself driving down one of the many highways in Dallas, on her way to the police department. Behind her sat Keaton, drawing in his sketchbook and next to her, her father who slept with his head against the window. Because of his tendencies to nap after physical therapy they always kept a pillow in the car just for him. It hurt her so much to see her once strong father, so weak. And yet he did manage to fend for himself when that guy came at him. Her father will be back to normal, it'll just take some time.

Keaton closed his sketch pad then leaned forward to get a look at her dad. "He's in pain."

She glanced at the clock to see it wasn't quite the time to take his medication. Then she suddenly realized something and pulled into a nearby parking lot. This got Keaton to look at her rather curiously till she slowly reached behind her to grab her father's small bag. In this bag he kept all his medications needed for that day, including ointment and bandages for his leg. As she found his pain medication she opened it up and counted the pills.

"Mom was right, you're rather bull-headed dad." She gave Keaton the bag and began driving once again. "I'm going to get him something to eat so he can take the pain meds."

After she got some food at drive-through window she parked and got out of the car. She went over to the passenger side, slowly opened the door then knelt next to her father who was slowly waking up from his nap. He blinked numerous times before he moved his head away from the headrest. He rubbed his face as he slowly shifted his weight.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" His eyes showed Angela he was rather worried. "Why did you pull over? Somebody following us?"

"Dad, dad. Don't worry, the only thing that is wrong, is you not taking your medications." She took out the pills her father needed to take then handed him the fast food bag. "You need to eat with the medication. There's a bacon chicken sandwich in there with some fries."

Her dad opened the bag, took out the sandwich then unwrapped it. "Thanks." After he took a few bites he graciously smiled at Angela, slightly embarrassed. "You really didn't have to do this. I was going to take them as soon as I got home."

"And when would that have been?" Angela patted her dad's shoulder. "Hopefully it won't take to long at the department."

**Later That Night**

It was hard for Alex to sleep at night without her husband by her side and with him downstairs, she always worried about him. Unfortunately because of his back and his ankle he couldn't walk up stairs. It hurt her so much to see her once strong husband unable to move as freely as he use to. She knew he will regain full mobility back, however it was her impatience that made her worry more. Walker always bounced back from any injury he suffered rather quickly, it pained her to see him still in pain and suffering daily.

She laid in bed for several minutes before she finally got up to check on Walker. After she put on her robe she snuck down the stairs then slowly opened the door leading to the guest bedroom. As of late, Walker has been a rather sound sleeper all because of the pain medication he had to take before bed. On normal circumstances he would have woken up as soon as she opened the door to check up on him. Tonight, he just kept sleeping on his back with his good hand across his chest.

Very slowly she crept to his side then sat down on the bed next to him. He stirred slightly, his hand twitching on his chest and his head rolling slightly. She waited till he settled back down into a deep sleep to glance at the brace on his ankle. He had rested it on a pillow to relieve some of the strain the bars put on his leg. It made her happy to see he had wrapped his ankle up with gauze. He refused to get help from anybody and wanted to do most of the care himself. This irritated her, especially when he didn't take his pain medications.

"Sleep well, cowboy." She gently kissed him on the forehead and slowly got up. "See you in the morning."

**Somewhere in Dallas**

The news about Darrell Peters irritated Sam Groves so much he nearly broke his hand as he slammed it against the hotel room's wall. For the last month he had his friend spy on Walker's family, to look for the best opportunity to strike. But he was growing impatient and wanted to see that man dead.

He took a big swig of his longneck then made his way to the bed and violently threw the top mattress off. Here he could see a rifle with ammo laying on the box spring. He had bought this weapon along with several knifes a few months back. Now, it was time for him to use them.

"The Ranger will pay!" He shoved the sheathed knives into the waistband of his pants, grabbed the rifle and ammo then threw everything into a large duffel bag. "Should get him when he's weak, he'll be easier to take down!"

After he chugged down the rest of his beer he stormed out of the room and to his old four door sedan. Here he threw the bag onto the passenger seat as he climbed into the driver's. He only has had four beers so he should be able to drive to the Ranger's house without much problems. Let's just hope he doesn't get pulled over.

**Walker's Residence**

Outside in an unmarked SUV outside the Walker's house sat two Texas Rangers; Leroy McCoy and Hudson Alistair. Both were assigned to watch over the family after a close call with Darrell Peters earlier in the day. So far, nothing has happened. It may take several days of surveillance till they finally caught the main suspect, Sam Groves.

McCoy yawned as he leaned against the passenger side door, a cup of mildly warm coffee in his hands. "You know, Walker lives here. Why are we watching over a man that's able to handle himself. Hell, when Peters tried to attack him earlier today, even in a freaking wheelchair, Walker was able to take him down just enough for the police to arrest him." He shook his head. "I think this is wasting our time."

"Something tells me that what happened today was just the tip of a rather big iceberg." Alistair sighed heavily as he sipped at a bottle of water. "We'll see Groves driving up from where we are. And if not, I told them to flicker the lights in a certain pattern if there is any trouble."

"Do you think there'll be any trouble?" McCoy asked as he stared at the white house. "Do you really think Groves will come here?"

"He went after Walker in his pick-up, which means the man has no fear." Alistair sighed heavily as he checked his watch. "Just a few more hours and we get to switch off with another team." He leaned his head back against the seat's headrest. "It's going to be a long night."

A slight noise startled Walker enough to get his mind in a semi-conscious state. As one part of his brain attempted to fall back into a deep sleep, another seemed to sense something against his neck. The latter part won over and Walker quickly snapped awake to see a bearded man standing over him, his right hand holding a knife against Walker's neck.

"It's time to wake up, Walker." Groves grinned in the darkness, his yellowed teeth shining as though they were pearly white. "Time to play!" He pulled the knife away then motioned for Walker to sit up. "Get in your wheelchair now!"

"Why are you doing this, Sam?" Walker slowly began to sit up, the back brace making it difficult for him to move any faster. This, he could tell irritated Groves and he could see the man grimacing in frustration. "They're watching the house."

Groves rubbed his face then took hold of the brace strap on Walker's shoulder. He yanked at it several times till Walker was finally sitting up against the bed's headboard. After that he grabbed the wheelchair, unfolded it then cursed rather violently.

"You don't have handles on this thing!" He began to pace the room. "Just get in it!"

It took Walker several minutes to get standing and when he did he nearly fell to the ground. His legs were asleep once again, but that didn't help with the pain in his ankle which throbbed with each beat of his heart. He was pushed hard into the wheelchair which got a laugh from Groves. It rolled backwards till it ran into the nightstand which jarred Walker's back enough to make him wince. A fire like pain ran up his left leg as it fell against the chair's footrest.

He heard footsteps running towards the room and knew it had to be Alex who has become a rather light sleeper as of late. Groves turned towards the door, an evil smile on his face.

"No, don't do anything to them!" Walker tried to get up, but the pain in his ankle proved to be too much even for him. "Alex, don't come in here! Flicker the lights!"

Outside in the SUV Alistair turned his attention away from the house to start studying the road. This has definitely turned into a really boring night, unfortunately it was just beginning. He sipped at his water again while McCoy took a sip of his coffee.

"Alistair! Call it in! We have a situation!" McCoy slammed his door open, his right hand going to the weapon on his hip. "How did this happen!"

"Wait!" Alistair cursed at his young partner. "Don't go barging in there!"

McCoy ran across the vast yard till he reached the front porch where he slowed his pace so he wouldn't make noise. He leaned against the siding by the front door as he waited for Alistair. The older Ranger finally made his way across the lawn to stand by McCoy on the porch. They could hear a man yelling inside the house and both knew it had to be Sam Groves.

"Texas Rangers!" Shouted Alistair as he moved in front of McCoy on the other side of the door. "We have this place surrounded! Come on out with your hands up!"

Inside the house, Walker sat in his wheelchair, his hands crudely tied to the wheels. In front of him sat Angela and Keaton, both with their knees drawn up to their chest. Next to him in a rocking chair sat Alex who was dressed in her robe. All of them were scared, even he was a little edgy. Keaton's father was drunk and Walker knew for a fact that was when Groves got more violent. What did this man plan on doing to his family?

He pulled at the rope which dug into his wrists. "Leave them alone! They have done nothing wrong!" Groves rushed up to Walker who was powerless to stop the knife as it plunged deep into his chest. He gritted his teeth as the blade nicked one of his ribs and possibly went into his lung. "The Texas Rangers are out there right now…"

Groves violently pulled the knife out of Walker's chest then plunged it back in. "You will die a slow, painful death in front of your family. Now, you see why I had you take off that stupid brace!" He twisted the knife which got a grimace from Walker. "Makes it easier to kill you!"

"Dad!" Angela stood up and began to move towards him, but was stopped by Keaton. "Leave him alone! Can't you see he's already hurt!"

She began to cry which tore at Walker's heart. "Angie, don't cry." He grimaced as Groves pulled the knife out of his chest. "I'm okay." Unfortunately his breathing began to get slightly labored as a sharp pain radiated from the first stab wound. Groves slammed his fist several times into Walker's face before he went back to the front door. "Just sit down, Angie. Everything's going to be okay. Hang on, help is just outside."

Keaton could see the blood coming out of Walker's chest and noticed the first stab wound seemed to bubble. Did that mean it hit a lung? Quickly he got up, went to Walker and began to untie his arms from the wheels. Behind him he could hear his father cursing and yelling at the Rangers just outside the door. Good, that should keep him occupied for awhile.

Once Walker's right arm was free he started to help Keaton with his left. "Take Alex and Angela and escape through the backdoor." When the young man didn't move he shook his head. "Do it, now. Don't worry about me, I'm the one he wants."

"Right, right." Keaton shook his head at Walker. "So sorry this happened."

Sam spun around as he heard Keaton talking to that Ranger about an escape. This made his anger escalade to the point that he stormed after his son and tackled him to the ground. As he did this he could see Angela and Alex running through the kitchen to the back door. Oh well, he didn't need them anyway.

Keaton struggled to get away from him, clawing at the hardwood floor with his hands as he tried to get his body out from under his father's. "Be a man! This is what happens in the real world!" Sam slammed his fist into his son's lower back, directly onto one of his kidney's. This got a yelp from the young man as he quickly went limp. "You're my son! Not his!"

"Leave him alone!" Walker shouted from behind. "He's done nothing to you!"

Sam turned to see the weaker man desperately trying to get onto his feet. He punched his son once more then quickly got up to go to Walker. Once he was in front of the ex-Ranger he could see the man had paled considerably in the last thirty minutes and he could see that one of the stab wounds wasn't bleeding anymore.

With one quick motion he yanked the man out of the wheelchair and onto the floor. Keaton who had recovered from the punches went to Walker's side, tears in his eyes. To see this got Sam so furious he reeled his leg back and slammed his steeled toed boot into Walker's spine. This got an inhuman scream from the Ranger as he began to cry.

The scream made McCoy's heart race and he knew they had to get in there soon before anything else happened. He turned to the SWAT team to see they too were ready to break down the door. His hands began to flex around the handle as he waited for his time to bust in. His nerves ran wild through his body which made his heart pound against his chest.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Shouted the team leader. "Rangers! Follow in after us!"

A man with a handheld battering ram stepped forward, aimed it at the handle then swung back. As he did this the team behind him raised their weapons and lowered their face shields. The man brought the ram forward with all his body weight and slammed it against the wood which shattered in pieces upon impact.

"GO! GO! GO!" Shouted the team leader as he weaved his way into the house. "FREEZE! Drop the weapons now!"


	8. Chapter 8

Sam spun around as the SWAT team barged their way through the door then he turned his attention back to Walker who appeared to be sobbing. He laughed as he listened to the once strong Ranger cry from the injury to his back. There was a high possibility that he had permanently paralyzed Walker. Good, at last he will make the man suffer both physically and emotionally.

"Drop your weapons!" Shouted a man dressed in black SWAT gear. "Drop them now!"

Very slowly Sam dropped the knife he was holding then raised his hands high into the air. A man quickly ran up to him, grabbed his arms then forced them to his back. He then was patted down where the man found the knives tucked into his waistband. This got Sam to get jerked up by the SWAT member then pushed towards a group of three men.

One of the SWAT members took hold of Sam's plaid shirt and pulled him forward till they were face to face. "You will rot in jail for what you did!" He snarled at Sam.

Sam began to laugh. "He ain't dead. All I could get charged with is manslaughter or assault." He turned to Walker to see him being helped by his son. This got him furious and he lashed out towards Keaton which got him a violent hit from a baton in the kidneys. "I'll be back, Keaton!"

A SWAT team member waved for McCoy and Alistair to come into the house and as they did the first thing they saw was Walker laying on the ground. Quickly McCoy went to the retired Ranger's side to see him gripping the young teen's hand so tightly his knuckles were white. Walker's free hand was also squeezed tightly into a fist and lightly pounding at the floor.

He turned to the young man to see him crying. "What happened?"

"My dad kicked him in the back." He's voice was shaking so much McCoy had problems understanding him. "Stabbed in the chest…"

Alistair appeared at Walker's other side, his eyes getting big. "Walker, what's wrong?" When he didn't respond Alistair took hold of his friend's hand. "Hang in there buddy."

Walker could hear familiar voices around him, but his mind only focused on the pain in his back. It had to be the worse pain he has felt in his entire life and he knew for a fact that the kick destroyed any chances of him walking again. He took a deep breath which made him cough uncontrollably. This jarred his back so much he let out a quiet sob as tears streamed down his face. He took another shaky breath hoping to God the pain would go away.

"He's spitting up blood! Roll him over!" Shouted a man to his right.

"No…" His voice was just a whisper. "Don't… move me."

A gentle hand began to rub his shoulder, possibly one of the Rangers. "Walker, we need to roll you over. It'll help you breath."

Walker slowly turned his head towards Keaton to see the young man crying into his arm. He slowly began to relax his grip and as he did Keaton pulled his head up.

"Walker, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." He began to rub Walker's hand as paramedics came into view. "Help is here. Don't you worry."

"You've done nothing wrong, Keaton." Walker's voice was strained as he fought off the pain. "You did good. Just watch over…" He grimaced as a sharp pain ran up his back to his shoulders. "…Alex and Angela for me."

Outside standing with Marc was Angela who had a thick wool blanket wrapped around her small shoulders. His arm was wrapped around her in a friendly embrace. Because of the closeness of both their parents they have become more like brothers and sisters then friends.

They both had watched as the SWAT team barged into Angela's house and both waited for any news for several minutes. Finally both of the teens could see as a SWAT member escorted Keaton's father to an unmarked police car. And as this happened a team of paramedics rushed in, which gave Angela's heart much needed relief.

Marc's father walked up with a cup of cocoa and handed it to Angela. "Here you go. Your mom is with Sydney and Erica." He turned to the house as a paramedic team escorted Keaton to the nearest waiting ambulance. "At least now he won't have to worry about his dad anymore."

Another team of paramedics rushed into the house, their urgency telling Angela something was seriously wrong. She tried to run towards the house, but was stopped by both Marc and Trivette.

"What's going on?" Fresh tears began to run down her face. "What's wrong with my dad!"

Trivette patted Angela's shoulder. "Don't worry, everything will be okay."

Angela shook her head as a strange feeling watched over her, one she had felt only a few times. Once being before Keaton's father slammed into her father's truck. Why did she cowardly run from the scene? What drove her to abandoned her father like that? Worse, why didn't her mother stay and fight? If they stayed, they could have helped her dad.

She began to cry even more and nearly collapsed to her knees. "Just wish I didn't leave him."

"You had no choice." Marc gave her a big hug. "Don't worry, he'll be okay."

Inside the house the paramedic team gently rolled Walker onto the backboard while keeping his entire body completely immobilized. It seemed the pain intensified as they did this which made Walker that much more uncomfortable. One of the paramedics, a young woman patted his shoulder as she set up an iv line into his right hand.

"Told the doctors at the hospital you're in pain. They said it was okay to give you some morphine to help you out." She pushed the needle in then smiled down at him. "Okay, lift him up, but be gentle. Don't want to jar the back."

As the team lifted him up, Walker let out a loud hiss as the pain in his back radiated in fire like waves through his chest. But he couldn't feel anything below his waist, not even the pain that he knew had to be in his ankle. Through the fog of physical anguish his mind tried to think about his wife, daughter and adoptive son. He hoped they made it out okay, especially Keaton who had suffered a few punches from his father.

The lung that got punctured earlier must have finally collapsed as intense pain made him loudly gasp and clinch his hands into tighter fists. His breathing became rather labored as he desperately fought to breath. He felt the pace of the paramedics quicken as they led him to a stretcher, where they placed him down gently while the young woman began to rip open a bag.

"I'm going to put a tube down your throat." Once she opened the bag she turned on a flashlight. "Open your mouth." When Walker did somebody held it open while she threaded the tube through his teeth. "Okay, just relax and take a deep breath."

Walker did as he was told, grimacing as the tube scrapped across his throat till it finally made it's way into his lungs. The paramedics quickly attached the tube to his head by using medical tape then attached a bag to it. As the woman began pumping in air, Walker began to slowly relax as it became easier for him to breath.

"Let's get him to the hospital, stat!" The woman smiled down at him as she walked by his side. "You're in good hands now sweetie. Don't you worry none."

The team slowly and ever so carefully rolled his stretcher out of the house to the crowds outside. Walker could see several police lights flickering around him and his trained ears picked up Alex's cries which tore at his heart. He tried desperately to raise his hand, but found that impossible to do. He grunted which got the attention of the young female paramedic that was pumping air into his collapsed lung.

"Sweetie, you need to settle down." She glanced up as the stretcher stopped moving. "You need to try and relax. Okay, easy fellas."

Walker tightened his fists as the stretcher bumped its way into the ambulance. A male appeared in his vision and he smiled down at Walker as he read off his vitals. After the ambulance doors were closed shut the man cut open Walker's shirt to get a clearer view of the stab wounds. Walker just watched, unable to do anything as the paramedics did their job. He just wished he had the time to tell his family that everything was going to be all right. He knew they had to be really worried about him right now.

At the ranch Alex quickly went to Trivette's car, got into the passenger seat then buried her head into her hands. She wanted to just break down, to cry for eternity but knew she had to be strong for her daughter. They had left Walker to fend for himself and now he might be paralyzed.

Trivette gently rubbed her shoulder as Angela and Marc got into the backseat. "Let's get going to the hospital." He took a deep breath as he started his car. It's going to be a long and stressful night for all of their families.

At the hospital Walker grimaced as the stretcher was pushed through the halls then stop in a crowded room. Instantly somebody shown a light in his eyes, his right had begun to swell which gave the doctor some difficulty. He could hear voices calling out information, but his mind had problems focusing. He began to drift in and out, possibly from the loss of blood.

"Walker, stay with us now!" Shouted a voice from above. "You made it this far! Don't give up!"

"Somebody get a chest tube in him!"

The blackness had finally taken over his mind when he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his side. He snapped his eyes open then turned them to see the doctor shaking his head. A doctor patted his shoulder then began to inject something into his right arm. This helped Walker relax enough to get his breathing not as irregular.

"Good." A doctor moved in front of his face. "Tell me if you can feel this." Walker waited patiently, but felt nothing. After a few more minutes the doctor took a deep breath. "Okay, we're going to get you ready for surgery. Everything is going to be okay."

**One Day Later**

The news had hit Alex hard enough for her to almost slip into shock. According to Doctor Richardson, Walker most likely has a complete paralyzes of the spine from mid-chest down. The kick he received from Sam Groves shattered his fragile vertebras, sending chunks of bone into his spinal cord. How will the family cope with this new development? How will Walker take to it? As of right now he was in a light coma from blood loss, so she couldn't know yet.

She sat by his bed side listening to the respirator as it clicked and hissed, giving his body life saving oxygen. The doctors had put him in a special bed to keep his body completely immobile and to help rotate him to hopefully reduce the chances of complications. Tears ran from her eyes as she took a glance at her husband's bruised face. Why did this have to happen to him?

Angela took hold of Walker's hand then shook her head. "We shouldn't have left him." She began to cry once again. "It's all my fault he's here."

"No, it's not." Alex hugged her daughter then kissed her lightly on the forehead. "He's going to be okay. Many people live very healthy and productive lives, even if they are in a wheelchair." It was really hard for her to keep her voice level and calm for her daughter. "Your father will except this challenge and he won't let it get to him."

"But…" Angela shook her head. "I just wish this didn't have to happen to him. He was doing so well…" Her voice cracked as the emotions threatened to overwhelm her once again.

A nurse came walking into the room with a tray in his hands which was full of medical supplies. He placed it on a table by Walker's bed then turned to the family with a smile.

"I need to take care of him. You all could have a seat over by the window and watch or leave the room."

Alex slowly nodded and made her way to the couch that sat under the window. As she sat down, her eyes were glued to the nurse as he took care of Walker. This brought on the tears once again as the nurse massaged his legs and arms while keeping an eye out for his vitals. After several minutes of doing this he injected several vials of fluid into Walker's IV. Alex knew that one was steroids to help decrease the swelling in the spinal cord, then another vial was an antibiotic, and another was pain medication. Then he checked the surgery site on Walker's chest and once satisfied he cleaned the wound and put new bandages on. After this was all done he unlocked the bed then rotated it till Walker was laying at an angle.

"Okay, we'll leave him like this for awhile. He shouldn't wake up, but if he does, try to calm him down and explain the situation." The nurse smiled at them as he grabbed his tray. "I'll be coming back in three hours to check up on him."

Alex gave a slight nod as she stood back up to sit by Walker's side once again. It was going to take some getting use to with him in the bed and she started to wonder how he would think about being strapped in like this. Being rather stubborn he might want to get out as soon as he could. She reached over, rubbed his left arm then took a look at his taped eyes. Wonder if he had waken up and they couldn't tell because of this small measure to keep his eyes moistened She rubbed his right hand as her eyes drifted to his left ankle to see the steel bars still around it. Doctors had told her if he was indeed paralyzed he could have problems getting the ankle to heal right.

He grunted then his hand twitched which got Alex to sit back stunned. "Walker! If you can hear me, move your fingers?" When he didn't respond she sat back with a deep sigh. "Oh, Walker. Please pull through this."

His world was just blackness and at first he had no idea what had happened to him. He was about to drift back when he felt somebody hold his right hand. Very slowly he attempted to open his eyes, but found that difficult to do so. He was about to let the blackness take over him when he heard voices. Voices? Where was he? What had happened?

Then the pain hit him, so sudden he winced and tried to get comfortable to only realize he couldn't move. This got him scared and the hand holding his squeezed it reassuringly.

"…Walker…" The voice finally made it through the fog, but it still sounded far off. "…tape…hang…" He kept drifting in and out and he would have fallen back to sleep if it wasn't for something getting pulled from his eyes. This helped him get them open and as he did the voice got clearer. "Walker! You're awake!"

Alex? His heart began to beat much faster as the pain turned into a dull ache. It took several seconds for his eyes to clear and as they did he could see his right could only open a slit. He tried to talk, but something in his mouth quickly stopped him. It took his tired brain a few minutes to see that he was laying at an angle. What the hell had happened to him?

"Good to see you awake. Hang on, let me rotate the bed." Walker felt the bed actually moving till he was laying on his back facing the ceiling. He heard a few clicks then a doctor appeared in his vision. "My name is Doctor Richardson. I have you placed in a bed that will keep you completely immobile till I know your back is strong enough for a brace." He smiled down at Walker. "You have a respirator in your mouth to help you breath. It'll be in place for a week."

So, what the doctor just told him was that he couldn't move or speak. Wonderful. Walker rolled his eyes to the right to see Alex sitting by his side with a smile on her face. Next to her he could barely make out Angela and that was as far as he could see without lifting his head. This is going to get old rather quickly.

Doctor Richardson placed something under Walker's right hand then put a pen between his fingers. "It'll be tricky, but you can still write." He sighed heavily as he glanced back at Alex. "Walker, do you want to know about your back?" Walker wrote down yes, or the best he could. "Very well. There is a ninety-five percent chance you may not walk again. And the injury to your lung could lead to pneumonia."

Everything came back to Walker and the memories of that night flooded back into his brain. He desperately wanted to get up now, to check on his daughter and especially Keaton who had taken a beating from his father. Unfortunately he was strapped to this bed with no chance of getting up, which irritated him. He tried to write down, Keaton, but he wasn't sure how legible it was. Somebody must have been able to read it since the young man came into his view.

"Hey, Walker." Keaton slowly sat down next to Alex. "Good to see you awake. Keep hanging in there, you're doing really good." He patted the sketchbook he was holding. "I have many things to show you." He smiled as he turned to Angela. "Keep fighting, Walker. Just keep being your good old stubborn self. You'll pull through this."


	9. Chapter 9

**One Week Later**

Even though he has been in hospitals countless times and knew how boring it was, Walker noticed without the ability to move or talk, his stay this time around was going by much slower. For once he was grateful for the medication always being injected into his body. It helped him relax and to sleep, which helped pass some of the time. He flexed his fingers then turned his eyes to the left to see only chair legs and floor tile. Man, this is getting old.

For the last several days he had tolerated staring at the floor, the window, and the ceiling. Now, he was ready to get up and began any physical therapy he needed to do to get out of here. Which meant he has to learn how to live with some limitations. He had ample time to think about his condition and as his mind raced, so did the oncoming depression. There has only been a few moments in his life that he had allowed grief or sadness to take over and now he knew the depression would hit him, no matter how hard he tried to fight it off.

His life changed in a moment and now he and his family will have to learn how to deal with his new disability. The ranch house will have to be remodeled to accompany a wheelchair. He will have to learn how to drive with hand controls and do most of what he use to do, but with the wheelchair. He will have to stay strong for his family, that's what they expect from him after all.

Scrubbed legs appeared in his vision as the bed was unlocked and gently rolled till he was on his back. He was greeted by Doctor Richardson and another nurse who Walker hasn't seen before. Richardson patted Walker's shoulder then began to unlock the bed from the frame.

"I'm going to take you to get x-rays and an MRI to see how well your lung has healed." With the help of a team of nurses, Walker was gently lifted and placed on a stretcher. He was still strapped down which irritated him. "If everything looks good, we'll remove the breathing and feeding tubes. We're going to also inject some dye around your spinal cord so we can see how well it's healing. It's going to take a few hours. So, try to relax."

Walker tried to nod his head out of habit, but grunted in frustration instead. He didn't like not being able to move and the thought brought him to reality. For now on, he wouldn't be able walk, run or do martial arts. The last time he had done any of the former was before the car accident little over a month back. Oh God, he wasn't going to walk again. The realization hit him so hard he could feel a tear escape his left eye. Get it together Walker, you have to get it together.

Richardson glanced down and got a worried look on his face. "You okay, Walker?"

How could he respond to the doctor's question? He didn't have the pad or pen and he had a tube shoved down his throat. Richardson gave Walker a look of encouragement, patted his shoulder then looked up as the bed was pushed to the waiting tests.

At a local restaurant Keaton tried to eat a hamburger, but couldn't really stomach it. He pushed his plate aside then took a sip of his lemonade. For the last several days his mind kept going over that night in the Walker's living room, desperately trying to see if there was a way for him to prevent his father from injuring Angela's father. Unfortunately he couldn't spot any and had to keep telling himself over and over again that Walker's paralysis wasn't his fault.

He sighed heavily then looked up to see Angela playing with her food. Both haven't talked to each other in days and new that sooner or later one of them had to break the ice. Keaton took a deep breath then leaned back into the booth's vinyl seat.

"Prom is just a month and a half away." It seemed trivial, but to Keaton it helped get his mind off of Walker and his father. "You still need to pick out a gown."

Angela slowly nodded as she poked at her drink with a straw. "And you need to get fitted for a tux." She pushed the drink away then shook her head. "I don't know if I want to go now."

"I think we both need the escape." Keaton took hold of her hand before he even realized what he had done. Quickly he pulled it away and bowed his head to hide his blushing cheeks. "Sorry about that. I…I know we're just friends."

"It's okay." Angela gave Keaton a smile. "You're a good friend, Keaton. One of the best I've ever had." She sighed heavily then gave him a nervous chuckle. "Just not ready yet for a serious relationship."

Keaton slowly nodded, completely understanding where Angela was coming from. Both have known each other for most of their lives and in a way were more like brother and sister. This hurt him sometimes, especially when he wanted more from their relationship. Keaton took a deep breath then thought back on stories that Walker had told him about the early years of his and Alex's relationship. They were close friends for many years till Walker finally got the courage to ask her out. Even then they dated for quite some time before he popped the question.

"Do you want to get your father something?" He took out his wallet, grabbed a few five dollar bills then threw them on the table. "I think it'll help cheer him up."

Both walked out of the restaurant then made their way down the street till they reached a small mom and pop shop. Here they met up with Marc, Trivette, and Alex who all gave them hugs upon arrival. Every one of them, especially Alex and Angela have been through hell and because of this week, all of them have become much closer. Keaton now calls the people around him his family, people he could actually look up to for answers and guidance.

Trivette patted Keaton on the back the grabbed his suit coat. "Let's get something for Walker and head back to the hospital."

An hour later Keaton made his way down the hall with Angela and Alex, a balloon in each of their hands. As they got nearer to Walker's room their pace quickened. They could see Trivette talking to a few detectives by the door then could see him slowly nodding his head. Keaton picked up his pace till he finally got to the man's side.

"What's going on?" Keaton glanced at the detectives as they left. "Jimmy?"

Trivette shook his head and patted Keaton's shoulder. "Your father will only be on trial for aggravated assault for the attempt to murder. Which means, he may only get ten to fifteen years. We're trying to pin him for more. Just give it time."

He turned to the room to see Gage sitting at Walker's bedside and at the sight of the man, Keaton suddenly realized he hadn't seen his friend in several days. He turned to Trivette with a surprised look then slowly stepped into the room. As he approached Walker's side, Gage glanced up to show Keaton his bruised face.

Gage's face showed his frustration and mental anguish. "I didn't even know about the accident till I was pulled from undercover." He sighed heavily then patted the chair next to him. "He's asleep right now. Doctor said he should wake up in thirty minutes or so."

Keaton sat then turned to his older friend. "How long have you been in deep undercover?"

Gage sighed heavily as he glanced down at his scuffed up hands. "Five months, two weeks and three days." He played with his wedding band then shook his head. "Sydney has been so good to me. Just wish we had a kid…" His voice trailed off at this point and he shook his head once again. "I can't get into a lot of details about my mission, but I was found out…I barely escaped."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Keaton took a deep breath then turned as Alex and Angela came walking into the room with the balloons in their hands. "Hey guys. Walker's asleep right now." He glanced up at Walker to see the respirator had been replaced by an oxygen tube through his nose. "Everybody is here now. I think he'll only get better."

Later the next night Walker awoke feeling absolutely horrible and really didn't know what had happened to him. Yesterday he was feeling great, though slightly depressed at his current condition. He hardly felt the pain in his back and chest thanks to the medication and he was getting plenty of rest. But it seemed something must have gone wrong since then. Could something creep up on him that quickly without him knowing? What had happened to make him feel so lousy?

Maybe it was just the depression that was giving him a headache. He really hasn't felt this low in such a long time and it made him wonder how strong he really was emotionally. For many years he had held everything in, not letting anybody know his true feelings. All spawning from when he was a child and saw his parents getting murdered. Then growing up on the reservation where he wasn't welcomed and always ridiculed for not being full-blooded. Emotions back then always left to more humiliation for him, so he learned very quickly to keep quiet.

Just thinking of his parents made him realize he still held onto the painful memory of their death and not the happy moments he had with them. He has to remember their love for him, even through the tough times in life. Like when his father got fired from his job and he had skipped meals just so Walker could have food to eat. He will never forget that time in his life. He was only six and didn't quite understand his family's situation. All he knew back then had been the humiliation he had felt for not having what the other kids had.

He sighed heavily which made the air catch in his weakened lungs. A few coughs escaped his lips and caused pain in his chest. Even though he was glad to have the tube out of his mouth, he wondered if it was too soon. He rolled his eyes around to see he was all alone in the room. A light shone above his head which really aggravated him. If he could just reach up and turn the dang thing off he could get more sleep.

The door slowly opened and Nurse Benny Gonzalez stepped to Walker's side. He smiled down at Walker as he unlocked the breaks then rotated the bed at an angle. Once locked he checked Walker's vitals then wrote them down on a clipboard. After he was done he patted his shoulder then injected the medication into his IV.

"Do you want me to flip the television on?"

Before his time in the hospital he rarely if ever watched television, but as of late, he caught himself watching more of it just to pass the hours. Most of the time it was some cable television show that he didn't even care about, but it was something to occupy his mind while his family and friends were not visiting.

"Yeah, why not." Walker's voice was harsh from the tube that had been down his throat. "Any movies for tonight?"

He could hear Benny sifting around then saw a stack of DVDs in his vision. "Spiderman, Shiloh, Beauty and the Beast and The Graduate." Benny chuckled. "Sorry, not much of a selection. Most of these movies are donated to us."

"Guess I'll go with Spiderman." A mirror was moved in front of Walker so he could see the movie that was playing on a television behind him. "Thank you."

It was an hour into the movie when Benny came back to rotate the bed once again and as he did, Walker was surprised to see Gage standing next to him. Visiting hours were long over, how did he get in here? And why would he be here in the middle of the night? Did Sydney know?

Benny rotated him so he was at angle, but able to see Gage. "He has clearance to see you for thirty minutes then he has to leave."

Gage gave Walker a weak smile then slowly sat down on a chair. "I hope you don't mind, Walker. But I really need to talk to you privately." When Benny left Gage shook his head then ran his hand through his short dirty-blonde hair. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you and Angela."

Walker tried to shift his weight to see his friend better, but was rewarded by no movement once again. "What's going on?" He glanced at his friend's bruised face then his eyes drifted to the scratches on his hands. "What happened undercover?"

Gage took a deep breath then rested his elbows on his knees. "Almost six months undercover to only find myself being…" He glanced up at Walker with tortured eyes. "Before I was pulled, I was found out by Cossentino and his gang. They beat me then they…they wanted answers."

"Oh God, Gage." Walker's heart went out to his friend and now, more then ever he wanted to get out of this bed. "When did you get back?"

"A few days ago, I still need to see a counselor about it." He exhaled then shook his head. "I'm sorry to lay this on you, Walker but I didn't know who else to talk to."

"No, it's okay." Walker flexed his fingers, frustrated that he couldn't hug his friend at his time of need. "So, start from the beginning. If Benny comes in, I'll just kick him out."

**One Week Later**

After that night Walker and Gage have grown closer then ever and they shared long talks, mostly at night about life in general. It was good to have somebody to talk to during the most boring parts of the day, it actually helped make his time go by quicker. And now, today, he was finally getting out of this bed to start physical therapy. Though he has been waiting for this moment for over two weeks, a part of him was scared of the new life he was going to live. Tests through the weeks have shown he had a complete injury to his legs. Which meant months of grueling physical therapy to get his arm and abdominal strength strong enough so he wouldn't have to depend on people to get by.

Doctor Richardson walked up to his side then smiled down at him. "We're going to take the straps off now. Don't move, until I tell you to." Very slowly and with the help from Benny and another nurse named Gideon they got the straps off then gently picked up Walker's limp body to a hospital bed. "How do you feel Walker?"

Walker slowly nodded through the pain that radiated up his spine. "I'm good, some pain, but good." He gritted his teeth as Richardson and the nurses gently put a back brace firmly around him. This put pressure on his spine which brought on more pain. "How long for the brace?"

"Three months." Gideon put two pillows under Walker's head and shoulders then began to massage his arms. Richardson checked the IV lines with a smile. "You're doing really good, Walker." He took hold of Walker's hand. "Start squeezing." As Walker did the muscles in his arm screamed at him in protest. This got a grimace to cross his face. "It will hurt for awhile. But with physical therapy you'll be able to move your arms with no pain." He patted Walker's shoulder. "You do have strength, which is good."

"At least I'm not strapped in that bed anymore..." Walker's voice trailed off as his attention drifted to his lifeless legs. Though he couldn't see them, he could feel their dead weight. He took a deep breath then pressed his head into the pillows. "When do I start physical therapy?"

Benny chuckled as he lifted Walker's left arm. "Right now."

**High School**

It was really hard for her to concentrate on her schoolwork, but Angela knew she had to get back to school if she had any chance of graduating with her class. Her father insisted that she did so, to help keep her mind busy. Right now she sat in her Trigonometry class trying desperately to listen to the teacher as he droned on about equations. After a few minutes, he finished his speech then left them to do their homework.

Angela began to slowly work on the problems her teacher had put on the dry erase board as her mind went to her father. Today is the day he will be put into a regular hospital bed and began physical therapy. Soon he will be moved to rehabilitation where he will began the arduous task of preparing himself for a different life.

"Ms. Walker, are you okay?" Came her teacher's voice. "Do you need to leave?"

She realized right then she had been crying and shakily wiped her eyes. Though embarrassed she knew her peers would understand. Most knew about her father thanks to the news reports that appeared almost daily on television. It was strange to flip through channels or glance at a newspaper to see her father's face. Wonder when the media storm will die down?

"No." Angela took a deep breath then nodded her head. "I'm fine. Just, thinking. That's all."

"Okay, but if you need to leave just let me know."

As her teacher left, Angela sighed heavily then grabbed her calculator to try and get her mind off her father. But after a few minutes she found that is all she could think about and she finally had to get up and leave the classroom. What was this feeling she had? Hopefully everything was all right with her father and she was worrying over nothing. As she went to the front office to call her mom she noticed Keaton walking down the hall towards her. He picked up his pace when he saw her, his hand clutching his sketchbook.

"Hey, Angie!" He slowed to stop in front of her. "You feel it to, huh? I think it's just nerves." He stepped up to her and gave her a friendly hug. "Did you call your mom, yet?"

She shook her head. "No, not yet. I was about to. Hopefully everything is okay."

At the hospital Walker sat on his hospital bed, his arms aching from the physical therapy. He sat and watched as Benny slowly began to bend his left leg, which now had a thick brace around the ankle. Because Walker couldn't feel the pain that throbbed from the last surgery, Benny had to be extra careful to not put a lot of pressure on the muscles and tendons. It was strange to see somebody move his leg, knowing there should be pain, but not feeling anything.

Benny slowly bent his leg till he felt some tension then pulled it straight again. "The muscles are tense, but that's because of being in the bed." He began to slowly rotate Walker's ankle which for over a month has caused him pain and now he just watched on feeling nothing. "Unfortunately, you're not going to be able to do the proper physical training for this ankle. It may not be the same again." He checked the brace then patted Walker's leg. "Need to watch that. Having the brace on, could cause problems."

Walker slowly nodded his head at another realization of his new disability. Because he couldn't feel his legs anything that put pressure on them could cause him to get blisters. So, he had to be extra careful now on how he sat and will have to make sure to keep moving his legs. What else will he have to do that he never would have thought of doing before? Then Benny lowered Walker's leg then went to his abdomen. Here Walker had to close his eyes, not ready yet see another new chore he had to do daily.

"Don't worry, this is just when you're in the hospital." Benny said as he continued to do his work. "You will start occupational therapy tomorrow. It'll be grueling, but you're a little behind."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get out of this place." Walker heard footsteps and opened his eyes to see Alex walking in with Sydney and Erica at her side. "Hey, how are you all doing?"

Alex stepped up to his side, took hold of his hand then kissed it. "Glad to see you out of that bed." She sat down by his side. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm doing better." He squeezed her hand as he turned his head to Sydney and Erica. "Hey you two. How are you all doing today?"

Sydney slowly nodded. "I'm doing good." Her voice however told Walker she was lying, but he knew better then to press the issue. "Angela and Keaton are on their way here to see you." She quickly said.

"Aren't they suppose to be in school?"

"Yeah, but it's okay." Alex nodded at Benny who turned to leave the room. "Renovations started on the ranch today." She patted his hand as she gave him a weak smile. "We're moving our bedroom downstairs, adding a bathroom down there as well…"

He sighed heavily. "Will it be cheaper if we just got a house in the city?"

For the last few days Walker has been thinking about all the work the ranch needed to make it suitable for him. He knew that eventually after much trial and error he would be able to do most of the chores himself, but till then he will have to hire help. And with this hospital stay and the renovations, money will be rather tight. Could they afford everything? Even though insurance was helping with most of the costs, they will still have to pay quite a hefty sum.

He could see Alex's bottom lip quiver a bit as Sydney wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Walker, don't worry. We'll be able to afford this." She stated as she patted the back of his hand. "We will figure all this out, Walker." She gave him a stronger smile. "Good news. A dress and tux is being donated for Angela and Keaton, along with a limo and jewelry."

Walker closed his eyes at the little bit of good news and let a smile spread across his lips. "That's so great to hear. Do they know about it?"

"Not yet, I thought that maybe you can tell them." As if on cue the teenagers walked into the room carrying bags of food. He felt hungry, but he couldn't feel the pains that usually came with it. "Hey you two. Walker has some good news to tell you?"

Angela went over to Walker's right then sat down on available chair. "What is it, dad?"

"You two don't have to worry about prom. Dress, tux, limo, jewelry all paid for." He smiled at his daughter who looked so much like Alex, but she did have his eyes which showed surprise right now. He took hold of her hand then squeezed it. "Everything will work out for us."

Keaton smiled at him then leaned back into the chair. "That's really good to hear. How does it feel not being in that bed anymore?"

Walker took a deep breath then shook his head. Erica and Sydney noticing his discomfort quickly excused themselves, their reason, to get food. As the door closed Walker glanced around him at his family knowing he will have to tell them his true feelings. No longer should he hide under the mask he's been holding up for so long.

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Sorry." He swallowed hard then took a shaky breath. "I'm just…scared." After he got that out Walker did feel a little better. Strange. "But things will turn out okay, they always do." He turned his head towards Alex to see her crying. Guilt quickly rushed through Walker and through the pain he raised his hand up to her. "It's going to be okay."

Alex wiped her face. "I'm sorry, Walker." She took a deep breath. "You're right, everything always turns out okay." She glanced up at her daughter and Keaton. "We will make it through this."


	10. Chapter 10

**I believe there will be only two more chapters to this story. Need to wrap it up somehow. Leave comments, as always :)****  
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**Four Weeks Later**

The rehabilitation ward was quiet as night approached and Walker took this time to wheel around the halls to get his mind off of the grueling and frustrating day he had. Physical therapy always left him tired and the occupational therapy left him mentally exhausted. But he was making great progress and knew within a month he would leave this place to go home.

Eventually he would learn how to drive and do other things he use to do while he was able. Wonder what kind of sports he could get involved with? Surely there has to be a handicapped martial arts school around Dallas he could look into. After all his arms still work, he could still defend himself if he really had to.

As he rolled down the hall, his left wrist throbbed ever so slightly. It was still in the process of healing when the attack came and after a few weeks of not being used made the tendons and muscles rather tight. This caused his fingers to curl which made making a fist or opening his hand much tougher and more painful then he had thought. Hopefully he'll regain some use of that hand once again, but he knew he may never fully regain movement in his pinky or thumb.

He checked his watch and decided it was time to head back to his room. His daughter along with Keaton will be visiting him before they went to prom and he had to make sure he was there to see them. He couldn't believe his daughter will be graduating in just a few short months. It seemed just yesterday when he dropped her off at preschool. Boy, how time flies.

As he made his way into his room he flipped on the light then wheeled towards the bed. The room didn't feel homey to him even though Alex did bring in pictures of family to decorate it. Just another month, maybe less then he can finally go back home and start doing what he wanted to do. He shifted his weight then began to unbuckle the straps around his legs so he could try and lift himself up and onto his bed.

One challenge he faced while doing physical therapy was the partial use of his left hand. This made lifting himself up and other tasks slightly difficult to do. Slowly he reached up, grabbed the bar then tried to pull himself up. He began to grimace as pain radiated from his spine, but he had to push that aside. After several attempts he finally had to sit back down into his wheelchair, out of breath and frustrated at himself.

He reached over, pushed the call button then waited for his therapist to come in and help him. It embarrassed him to get help over the simplest of things, but he knew till he got the strength to do things on his own he had to ask for assistance.

Peter Vaughn came into his room with a smile on his face. "Need help getting into bed?"

Walker reluctantly nodded his head. "Yeah, thanks." He lifted his arms so Peter could help him onto the bed. As Peter lifted, Walker quickly grabbed hold of the bar to help the young man. "Hopefully I can do this on my own."

"Just give it time." Peter positioned Walker on the bed then checked his watch. "You want me to get your clothes ready for bed?"

"If you don't mind, thanks." Peter came back with a t-shirt and sweats for Walker. "I think I can do this."

Slowly Walker pulled himself till he was sitting upright which was highly uncomfortable because of the brace. Now he can take off his shirt and try to undress himself. This part of the day always humiliated him to the point he actually blushed when Peter helped him. Let's just hope his daughter and Keaton didn't walk in during this embarrassing task.

After a few failed attempts, he finally got his shirt off and as he did Peter went in to study the back brace then loosened it just enough to give Walker some leeway while he slept. Once this was done, Walker put the t-shirt on that Peter provided for him then glanced down at his jeans. He took a deep breath then gently laid back down and began to take off his pants.

Peter quickly moved in and started to help him. "It's okay. You'll get the routine down soon enough." He turned as he heard footsteps down the hall. "Sounds like your daughter and her friend is here. Hang on, I'll tell them to wait out in the hall."

The hospital was eerily quiet as Angela and Keaton made their way towards her father's room. In front of them walked her mother who insisted on coming to take pictures of this special day. Angela glanced at Keaton to see her friend in a tux which really showed how handsome he really was. Who would have ever thought just a few short months back all he wore was black?

As they approached the room, her father's therapist, Peter came walking out with a smile.

"He's getting ready for bed right now. It'll just be another five minutes or so." He smiled at Alex. "You're all welcomed to come in if you want."

Her mother nodded. "Just stay here." She gave Angela a friendly grin. "It'll just be a few minutes. Then you can come in."

Inside the hospital room Walker struggled to get his clothes on, but knew very well he couldn't get his pants on, not yet anyway. Peter came back into the room this time with Alex behind him. Walker's shoulders slumped as his cheeks turned a deep crimson red. His wife just smiled at him then stepped up to his bed to assist him.

Walker shook his head. "I'm okay, I don't need help."

"Allow me, please." Alex smiled down at Walker as she began to help him with the task of putting on his sweats. "Remember our vows. I'm always going to be here for you." Once Walker was finally dressed she patted his shoulder. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Thanks." He allowed his wife to pull the sheets up to his chest then fix the pillows till he was comfortable. "You can bring Angela and Keaton in now."

He shifted his weight ever so slightly, a little uncomfortable at having his daughter seeing him so weak. In the last month she has been so strong and had actually helped him on occasion when he needed it. She's just like her mother, very strong willed which helped her get through tough times like now.

The door to his room opened and in she walked looking like an angel on earth. Walker couldn't believe how beautiful his daughter was and had to actually blink several times to make sure he wasn't seeing a hallucination. He waved her over to his side then reached up to give her a hug.

"You're so beautiful." He pulled away to look his daughter in the eyes. "Keaton's a lucky man to have you as a date."

Angela kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you, dad." She turned as Keaton stepped to her side. "He cleans up nicely."

Walker turned to his adoptive son, his smile getting broader. "That he does." His voice faded as Keaton handed him his sketchbook. He tried to open it, but was quickly stopped by Keaton. "I understand." He patted the cover. "I'll look at it tonight."

Keaton gave Walker a slow nod then leaned down to give him a hug. "I'll take good care of your daughter, sir."

Alex lifted a camera and smiled at Walker. "Picture time."

Angela moved to Walker's left while Keaton stayed on his right. He hated having pictures taken while he was in the hospital, but he knew he couldn't fight Alex. She took several then patted Walker's right leg as she sat down on the bed next to him. It was strange to see her do this and not feel anything, not even the movement of the bed. He tried yet again to move his legs, but saw they didn't respond to his commands.

He squeezed Angela's hand. "Sorry that you had to visit me in the hospital during your prom night." He slowly reached up with his other arm and embraced his daughter. "You two have fun tonight. Keaton, try to get her back to Alex before midnight."

Keaton reached down and gave Walker a hug as well. "I will do my best."

They talked for several minutes before they finally left Walker's room. After several minutes Alex came back with a smile on her face and a bag in her hands. She pulled over the bed tray then sat down in a chair next to him. He smiled knowing what she was doing and it actually made him feel so much better. Twice a week she would come to his room and they would have a nice little dinner while they just talked about life in general.

He pulled up the bag in front of him and took out the Styrofoam container. "How is the remodeling coming along?"

Alex poured each of them a glass of water then smiled. "Doing great. The porch is all set up, the bedroom and the bathroom is done and right now the doors are being widened." She opened the container with her dinner inside. "They will start on the kitchen tomorrow."

"I told you to now worry about the kitchen." He opened his container to see grilled chicken topped with garden vegetables. "What do they have planned?"

"Making storage places easier for you to get to. It's minor work, but I know it will help you out quite a bit." She bit into her salad then nodded her head. "Even the barn is getting some touchups." Alex raised her hand as he began to protest. "I hope you don't get mad, but I had already talked to a few therapists and they that told me that you can still ride a horse. You just have to train the one you have or get a new one."

Walker slowly nodded his head. "Thank you. But, how would I get on one?"

"They have classes you can take to help you out. You can sign up once your back is healed." She patted his arm. "Don't you worry, you will find ways to do sports and other activities. Peter told me that there are a lot of paraplegics that can do amazing things."

The word, paraplegic made Walker's mood quickly fade back to the blurry darkness that was depression. Since his arrival to the spinal rehabilitation ward he has been trying, sometimes too hard to act as though he didn't have a disability. He always got harassed from Peter for pushing himself to hard and not sleeping enough. There were times during physical therapy that Walker really didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to keep going and the other just wanted to break down and cry.

He glanced up at his wife to see her still smiling at him and he grinned. "Yeah, so I heard." He sighed heavily as his eyes drifted to his lifeless legs. "Once I leave here I'll need to look any martial art schools and see if any offer up any special classes for the handicap." His voice faded at the end of the sentence and he could see Alex had noticed it. "Sorry, I was just thinking of what style I really want to get in to."

She patted his hand. "It's okay, Walker. This is a new life for all of us."

"Just wish I didn't get everybody into this mess." His voice was low and soft. "Because of me…"

"Keaton has a new outlook on life." Alex beamed at him. "He's looking into becoming a crime scene investigator." She took a glance at the notebook sitting by Walker's hip. "He's extremely talented artist, but he also has a great eye for detail."

Walker took a look at the sketchbook then smiled. "I'm glad to know that he's pursuing something in his life that will make him happy. Has Angela figured out what she wanted to do yet? Last time I talked to her she was on the fence."

Alex shook her head. "No, but I hope she makes up her mind soon. But, I think she might do something in law enforcement."

His heart skipped a beat at just thinking of his daughter going into the line of work that he use to do. Would he be able to handle Angela's life always being on the line like that? And how would he react if she got injured? What if she got shot like he did on numerous occasions? It would be hard for him to take, but he knew it came with the job. He just hoped his daughter didn't end up like him, stuck in a hospital bed unable to feel or move his legs.

"Well, if she does become an officer, I just hope she stays out of harms way." He patted his wife's hand. "She'll make a good officer."

Two hours later Alex left him to get back home so she could be there for Angela and Keaton. Walker sighed heavily then got himself ready for bed, which meant for him to use the restroom, a task he still had to get help on which embarrassed him to no end. This time the nurse who came was, Bard Newborn, an overnight nurse at the rehabilitation center.

Brad stepped up to Walker's bedside then pushed the grab bar over to him. "Okay, grip the bar and I will assist you to your chair." Walker did as he was told then with help from Brad he got into the wheelchair. "Good. Call me if you need help"

In twenty minutes Walker found himself back in his bed for the night and with Brad's help he got comfortable or best he could with the back brace. Brad patted his shoulder then was about to leave the room when he seemed to have remembered something.

"I moved a notebook off your bed while you were in the restroom. Did you want to look through it?" He moved to a table and lifted it up. "Or do you want to wait for the morning?"

Walker nodded. "Yeah, Keaton brought it tonight." Brad turned on the light above the bed then went to turn off the room light. "You try to have a nice night, Brad."

Brad smiled. "You too, Mr. Walker." He waved then closed the door.

Once again Walker was left alone which finally got him some time to look through Keaton's sketchbook. He slowly opened the book to the first page to see a sketch of two horses, and judging by the markings he could see they were Abigail and Smokey. Flipping to the next page he saw a drawing of Angela sitting on the back porch, her head in her hands. Walker couldn't see his daughter's face, but he could tell she was in deep thought.

He flipped through several more pages to see drawings of Angela, Alex and him at home and in the hospital. One picture grabbed his attention and Walker had to study it to see all of the minute details. The drawing was one of him in the hospital with the halos on both his arm and leg. Keaton had drawn the exact number of bars and even the slight bleeding that had happened in the first few days after the accident. He took a deep breath then closed the book. He will have to make sure this was kept safe so he could pass it down to his grandkids.

**Two Years Later**

The rehabilitation room was rather quiet as Walker wheeled in for his daily two hour physical therapy classes. He got to a low, wide table then locked the brakes on his chair knowing his therapist, Johnny Mayborn will arrive eventually. Walker always arrived ten minutes early, mainly because he factored in traffic and other conditions for his trip here. Hopefully he will learn how to drive again and will be able to take himself to therapy. He had already started to study a book Johnny had given him three months ago which explained everything that he had to know about driving with hand controls. It was strange to think how his life has changed so drastically in just a few short years.

"Hey, Walker." Johnny stepped up to Walker's side and patted his shoulder. "How is life?"

"Doing pretty good. Think I'm about ready to test on driving before the back surgery." He allowed Johnny to take a look at his left hand. "Just wish I had better movement in that hand."

Johnny pulled over a stool then sat down. "Squeeze my hand as strong as you can." Walker did so, frustrated at the weakness in his hand. "Good, you have some improvement." He grabbed a small rubber ball from a drawer under the table. "Let's began the exercises."

Walker threw the ball to Johnny with his left hand then caught it with his right. Though it seemed childish to play this little game he knew it helped with muscle memory and coordination. They did this for several minutes till Walker's arm began to throb and he began to loose grip on the ball. Walker threw it one more time, a little harder then he should have and got a tisk from Johnny.

"You're doing really good, Walker." He reached down and unbuckled the straps around Walker's lower legs. "Okay, let's start on your legs."

Two hours later, Gage pulled into a handicap spot located just outside the rehabilitation ward and parked his car. Soon, Walker will be able to drive himself anywhere he wanted which will be a joyous occasion. His friend will once again gain his independence. But before he does, he will have to endure yet another surgery to his back. This one, to rebreak some vertebrae that didn't fuse together probably and was causing Walker some serious discomfort. Nobody really knew till his friend had accidentally told Johnny, six months ago about the pain he was in during therapy. X-rays showed the fractured vertebrae had fused, pinching several nerves. It hurt him to think that his friend had to endure yet another surgery, but hopefully this will be the last for awhile.

As Gage stepped up to the door he could see Walker wheeling towards him with a smile on his face. It was good to see his friend have such an upbeat attitude about his new disability. Even Gage had a hard time getting use to Walker being in a wheelchair. Hopefully as the years go by everybody will get use to his new disability.

Walker came through the sliding doors then reached up to shake Gage's hand. "Thanks for picking me up. Lunch is on me."

Gage shook Walker's hand then shrugged. "Depends on where we're eating." He laughed as he popped the trunk open. "Actually I was asked to take you to CD's. Alex is waiting there."

"Then CD's it is." Walker went to the passenger side of Gage's car, pulled the door open then juggled it open by lightly bumping it with his chair's wheel. Once open he locked his brakes so he could lift himself into the seat. "Hopefully after the surgery I can drive myself around."

Gage went around, folded Walker's wheelchair then patted his friend on the shoulder. "You going to keep the truck or get a car?"

"Car might be simpler, but it's not me." Walker laughed as he closed the door. Inside Gage's car he shifted his legs till he got them to look comfortable. It was strange to not feel anything as he grabbed his jeans to lift his right leg. Once situated he buckled himself in then turned to Gage as he got into the car. "How is the adoption coming along?"

Gage beamed a smile only a father would. "Doing great. Will be signing the paperwork tomorrow." He sighed heavily. "Just wish we could have a kid, but after six years, still nothing."

Walker reached over and patted his friend on the shoulder. "The little one is going to make you two very happy." He checked his watch. "Can we stop at the Galleria real quick. I want to pick something up for Alex."

Ten minutes later Walker found himself wheeling through the near-empty mall towards Alex's favorite store. Two weeks ago she fell in love with a shirt, but because of his therapy and upcoming surgery money was rather tight, even with insurance. But he knew if he bought this shirt for her, it would definitely put a highlight in her week.

Next to him he could hear Gage huff which made Walker slow down slightly. "What's the matter, can't keep up?" Walker chuckled as he came to a complete stop. "The store is just down here."

Gage sighed heavily as Walker began to move again down the large walkway of the mall. It always amazed him on how fast his friend could move with the wheelchair. In the last few years, Walker's upper-body strength has increased enough that he was now mostly independent. Unfortunately, his left hand still caused him problems and Gage suspected it may never fully be the same again.

After Walker got the shirt for Alex they headed back down to the parking garage where Gage ran ahead to get the car ready for his friend. He just got to his car when he heard Walker arguing with a bunch of young men. Quickly he turned around to see a group of five teenage boys around Walker, all of them laughing and calling his friend really cruel names.

"Hey!" Gage ran towards Walker and was rather surprised to see the kids still rooted in their spots. "Leave him alone!"

"Oh, so you have a friend to protect you." Said the biggest of the teenagers in a mocking baby voice. He reeled back his leg then slammed the tip of his boot right into Walker's lower left leg. "You cripple! You didn't even feel that, did you! I bet your wife has to go to other men…"

Walker quickly grabbed the young man's arm, twisted it then pulled down which caused his attacker to scream in pain. "Leave me alone!"

"Okay, okay! Just let go of my arm!" As Walker did so two of the kids rushed at him with punches and kicks. "Leave him! Let's go!"

Gage skidded to stop then knelt down to get a better look at his friend. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Walker wiped the blood from his nose with his hand, grimacing at its soreness. "I need to check my leg though. See if there is any damage."

"Right, right." Gage gradually lifted Walker's pant leg where he could see a red spot on the side of the calf. He gently pressed down on it then nodded. "Don't feel any broken bones. But I'll let Alex know so she can keep an eye on it."

Walker shook his head. "I don't want to worry her." He smiled. "It's going to be okay. Let's just get to CD's."


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gage ran up to Walker's side and had to actually do a light jog to keep up with him. "Walker…"

Walker came to a sudden stop then turned the chair so he could look at his friend. "Nothing is wrong." He pushed the hand bars on his wheels to began moving again. "I'm fine."

When he reached CD's he was greeted by the front door which had to be pulled outwards to open. This always caused problems and in fact, Mary, the new owner did suggest to put in an automatic door, but Walker couldn't let her do such a thing just for him. He didn't want people to change their ways because he was in the wheelchair.

He maneuvered his chair just right so he can pull the door open then bump it with his wheel. It appeared to have worked and he was nearly through when Gage came up and held the door open for him.

"I almost had it." Walker grumbled as he pushed his chair through. "I could have done it myself."

Gage stepped in front of him and shook his head. "What is wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me!" Walker snapped out as he grabbed hold of his legs. "This, is what's wrong!" He shook his head then glanced up to see a pained look on Gage's face. "You don't know what it's like to be locked in a wheelchair all day. Here," He took the bag off the wheelchair arm and handed it to Gage. "Tell her I'm sorry. I had to go on a walk…" His voice faded and he shook his head. "Just tell her I'll be back."

Inside the bar, Angela looked up from her lunch when she heard her father yelling. Rarely did he ever raise his voice and she knew by the tone that he wasn't too happy about something. Maybe she should have told Gage that it was her meeting him here, and not mom. Well, there went the surprise. Quickly she stood up to go find her dad when she was stopped by Gage.

"Just let him vent." He handed the bag to Angela. "That's for your mom."

Angela peered inside the small shopping bag to see a shirt then glanced back up at Gage. "What happened?"

The man, who she considered an uncle shrugged his shoulders and then turned to the front door. "I think realization suddenly hit him." He sighed heavily. "Your father is a tough man, but even he has his weaknesses." His voice showed Angela the emotional turmoil he was going through. "Guess everybody thought he would take this like he usually takes everything. With a shrug, a smile and perseverance."

She slowly nodded then patted Gage on the shoulder. "I'm going to go look for him."

As she left the bar Angela turned right, knowing her father he would go to this place first if he was venting. It didn't surprise her to hear about her father's outburst about being in a wheelchair, she knew it had to come eventually. A man can only remain strong for so long before his mind mentally couldn't handle it anymore.

The old arena came into sight and slowly she scanned around to see if she can spot her father. After walking around the building a few times she finally spotted him wheeling back towards the bar. The look on his face told Angela that her father was going through some serious mental battles and appeared to have lost. She has never since that look in her father before and it actually got her worried. Will her father be okay?

"Dad!" She called out as she sprinted towards him. "Hold up!"

Her father turned to face her, surprise written all over his face. "Angela? What are you doing here?"

She smiled as she approached his side. "Took a few days off from college. Needed a little break after finals." She reached down and gave him a hug. "What's going on?"

"Not a lot." His voice showed he was hiding something from her and she could see his eyes drifting. "How's Keaton?"

"He's doing good. Don't see him much anymore." She took hold of her father's handlebars then slowly began to push. It surprised her he allowed her to do this and she knew what the look was about. Whatever he had been thinking on his walk, won over and now her father sat, slumped over like a defeated warrior. "Okay, what's going on?" When he didn't respond she stopped pushing and walked in front of him. "Dad, you can talk to me."

He smiled at her. "I'm okay. Really, don't worry about me."

Walker took a look into his daughter's eyes to see Alex staring right at him. It amazed him how much Angela took after her mother and right now she showed her determination. He knew that his daughter won't back down unless he told her what was on his mind. That, or she won't talk to him for a few days, which seemed like the better option. He didn't want to show weakness in front of his daughter, didn't want to show her he had finally failed at something.

"I'm fine. I was just…thinking. That's all." He pushed his wheels forward just one time which allowed for him to be closer to his daughter. "Why don't we get something to eat?"

She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Some day, dad you will let mom and me in"

Almost out of nowhere Gage came running up to them, out of breath and looking nervous.

"Sam Groves just made bail." He took a deep breath then shook his head. "All fifty thousand of it, paid off. He's now a free man to roam the streets till his second court date. Last reported sighting was towards Fort Worth. Walker, do you want me to send a few guys to watch over your house?"

"Yeah. Mostly for Alex and Angela's safety. Has anybody talked to Keaton yet?"

"No, I'm sending a man there now."

Walker glanced up at his friend to see the Captain badge proudly displayed on his left chest and it made his heart swell up with pride. Ever since that day, a few years ago when Gage confided in him about the undercover mission gone wrong, he and Walker have been very close. Throughout Walker's stay in the hospital and rehabilitation wards there were countless nights where he talked to Gage about family and career. From this, their relationship sort of turned into a father and son one, where Gage now looked up to Walker for advice and leadership. No wonder he appeared hurt when Walker lashed out at him in the bar.

"Good." Walker slowly began to wheel forward. "Let's just hope Groves doesn't show up at my house." Guilt washed over him again as his friend walked on his right. "Gage, listen I'm sorry…"

Gage held out a hand. "It's all right. You have all right to vent out every now and then." He patted Walker's shoulder. "Let's get something to eat. We should be safe at C.D.'s."

**Walker's Ranch Two Hours Later**

The taxi had dropped him off a mile down the road from the Walker's residence and Sam Groves had to walk the rest of the way. It was really no big deal since he needed to stretch his legs after eighteen months in jail. Ten minutes later he found himself hiding in some bushes across the street from Walker's ranch. From his view point he could see a wheelchair ramp leading to the front door. He had heard that he had paralyzed the ex-Ranger which made him extremely happy. Though he didn't kill the man, at least he made him suffer.

After several minutes he slowly stood up from his hiding spot then stretched his back out. As he did so, a black car came driving towards the ranch and in the left seat he could see Angela. In just under two years the young woman has matured quite a bit and if Groves didn't know any better he would have thought she was Alex. And no sign of his son. Figured as much.

As the car parked he watched as Angela quickly got out, opened the trunk and took out a folded up wheelchair. That was when he noticed the blacktop drive-way leading towards the house. He began to laugh as he saw Walker struggle to get onto the wheelchair from the passenger seat. It will be much easier now to kill him. Unfortunately, judging by the cars parked nearby he had to worry about officers. Well, that didn't stop him last time, it shouldn't stop him now.

Inside the ranch house Walker slowly made his way through the lower floor till he got to the restroom. This always humiliated him and he hardly ever asked for help. He learned quickly on how to do this task on his own so as not to ask Alex for help. Just another reminder of his current disability. It always embarrassed him how he couldn't do the simplest tasks anymore without some fuss. Hopefully as the years go by, things will come easier for him.

After a few minutes he returned to the living room to see Gage talking to Angela. He gave her a friendly hug then made his way to Walker with a look of worry on his face.

"The officers lost Groves ten minutes from here." He shook his head. "I have officers positioned around the Ranch. Hopefully if Groves does show up, we'll be able to get him."

Walker shook his head. "On what? All he'll get is trespassing."

He sighed heavily as he made his way into the kitchen where he got a glass from a drawer which pulled out for his convenience. Just another part of the remodeling done to the house to accommodate him being in the wheelchair. He went to the kitchen sink and pushed a button which lowered the sink to where he could get a glass of water. Several thousands of dollars were put into remodeling the house which always frustrated Walker. He was suppose to provide money for his family and now, because of him, they were in debt.

Gage leaned against the kitchen counter and nodded his head. "You may be right about that."

Walker hated feeling so helpless and just wished he could watch over his family like he use to. Now what was he to do if somebody was to threaten his family? Roll over their feet and hope he breaks a toe or two. He rested his hands on the metallic hand bars then rolled his chair to the back door. He pulled open the screen door then made his way onto the wooden porch.

Before him he could see Abigail and Smokey grazing out in the pasture. Unfortunately he had to sale three horses to help pay for remodeling and hospital bills. Should have just sold the ranch and move to the city. But, Alex wanted to stay here for some unknown reason. He took a deep breath as his mind went back just a few years ago when his life was normal.

"Hey, dad." Angela stepped to his side and put her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath then shook his head. "Just thinking." He took hold of her hand then squeezed it. "Are you staying here while you're visiting?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah." She began to rub his shoulders. "Dad," Her voice cracked as she knelt down in front of him. "I love you, but I can't stand seeing you like this. You just need to let it out. I'm not going to think less of you."

Walker could feel the tears coming to his eyes and he had to stifle them back. "I know. Don't worry about me, Angela. I'm going to be just fine. Just focus on your studies."

"But, you're my father. I worry about you all the time." She took his hands into hers and smiled at him. "Have you told mom yet?" He shook his head no. "Oh dad. No wonder she's…" Angela caught herself then smiled. "You need to talk to her."

"I will eventually." He patted his daughter's hand then took a deep breath. "I just want some time alone. I'll be fine."

Later that day Walker found himself once again on the back porch looking out to the field as the lighting bugs danced in the glow before sundown. He knew he was battling depression once again, but he really didn't want to admit this little fault to his family. If he did, they may want him to see somebody about it. So, for now he kept it inside the best he could.

He sighed heavily as he stared at the field before him, wishing he could walk among it again. He knew he shouldn't think about the past, but for some reason his mind couldn't help going there. Before the accident he was a fit man for his age, able to run ten, twenty miles a day and then able to work out in the gym for three hours after that. Now, thanks to his left hand he wasn't able to wheel his chair through a mall without being in some pain and discomfort. Then of course there was the constant wave of sharp pain that would come from the break sight in his back. Hopefully that will be fixed after the next surgery.

The screen door creaked open and soft footsteps made their way onto the porch. "Out here again." Alex stepped to his side and held a glass of tea in front of him. "Angela told me about what had happened at C.D.'s."

Walker sighed heavily as he took the glass from Alex. "Please don't worry."

"I'm trying not to." She rubbed his right shoulder. "Gage also told me your leg…"

"I can take care of myself." Walker's voice showed his irritation. "But, if it makes you feel better," He put the glass on the wooden hand rail that wrapped around the porch then pulled up the left pant leg to show Alex where the teenager had kicked him. "It's nothing."

Alex glanced down, her eyes glistening with tears. "There's a bruise there. Just keep an eye on it." She quickly turned away from him, her hand going to her face. "Keaton's flying in. He wants to be here for you and the family."

Walker slowly shook his head. "He should stay and work on his studies." He unlocked his breaks then turned to his wife. "Can I just have some time alone? I can't walk or ride a horse like I use to do when I needed some space. I'm stuck in this damn chair! The only place I can go, right now is this fu…"

"Cordell Nathanial Walker!" Alex spun around with fire in her eyes. "What has happened to you!"

Walker waved at his lifeless legs. "This is what happened to me!"

"You're acting like a selfish pig right now! What about your daughter and Keaton?" Alex began to sob uncontrollably. "They both look up to you! It hurts them so much to see you like this…"

"And how else are they suppose to see me!" Walker shook his head as he wheeled closer to his wife. "I'm Walker, remember! The man with no fear!"

Alex's face softened at these words and she knelt down to get eye level with him. "Oh Walker." She tried to take hold of his hands, but he pulled them away from her. "Every man has their weaknesses, but in that weakness comes perseverance and from that comes a much stronger person. Walker, you said that to me numerous times when I was down." Her eyes glanced at his legs then back to his glistening eyes. "So what if you can't walk again, that doesn't make you any less of a man. In fact I think that makes you much stronger as a person." Alex saw her husband's eyes flicker away from her as he glanced at the wooden floor of the porch. "I know you battle depression, Doctor Richardson warned us all about that. But you can battle through this. Let me and everybody else help you, please Walker. We're here for you."

Walker took a deep shaky breath then slowly nodded his head. "I've been a real jerk lately, haven't I?" He wiped his face with his right hand then smiled at Alex. "Thank you."

A clap could be heard from the lawn and Alex quickly turned that way to see Sam Groves standing there eyeing them. Keaton's father smiled at the both of them as he stepped onto the porch. How the hell did he get past the Rangers guarding the house?

Groves clapped some more as he glanced down at Walker. "That's such a moving thing to say to a cripple. Fight through it, I know you can." Groves said in a mocking manner.

"Leave us alone!" Walker rolled towards Groves and Alex could see the spark once again in her husband's eyes. That told her he wasn't going to back down till the police came to help them. "Listen, there are officers positioned all over the place. Eventually they will see you here and…" Walker stopped in mid-sentence as Groves took out a knife.

"I'm going to kill your wife and daughter right in front of you." He stepped up to Alex who shied back from him. "What can you do to stop me?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Like my other stories, this one was on the laptop and I had lost the chapter I was working on. This is short, but mostly because I'm trying to get the feel back for this story. Enjoy. :) And thanks to countrygirl09 for help on a certain part.. :)**

Walker quickly pushed his chair till he was right up to Groves. "Leave my family out of this."

"And what do you plan on doing, cripple! Run me over with your chair?" Groves chuckled as he reached out for Alex. "Try your best to stop me, Walker!"

Quickly Walker undid the straps that held him in the chair then with one push he was up and flying towards Groves. Keaton's father took a step back in surprise which allowed Walker to grab the man's waist as both fell to the ground. There was a loud thud as both men hit the porch at the same time.

Excruciating pain spiked through Walker's back, but he had to ignore it to save his family. He somehow got Groves into an arm bar and managed to crank the arm enough to snap the shoulder. The scream echoed through the yard as Groves began to claw at Walker's grip. However, in just two years Walker's upper-body strength had immensely improved and it actually felt good as he was able to control the man till he heard boots running onto the porch.

Trivette chuckled as he knelt down to get a better look at Groves. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" He then turned to Walker. "You can let him go now."

Walker reluctantly let the man go then rolled onto is back which was on fire. He took a few deep breaths then closed his eyes wishing the pain would go away. A hand grabbed his and squeezed it tightly which got him to smile.

"Alex, I defended myself." He winced as the pain increased. "It felt good."

"Do you want us to call an ambulance?"

He slowly nodded knowing he shouldn't risk hurting himself more. "Yeah, but just as a precaution." He opened his eyes to see Alex staring down at him. "Just want to make sure everything is okay."

"I'll be back out, you can guarantee that!" Groves shouted as he was pulled away by two police officers. "They can't hold me for long!"

Walker moved his head to see Groves fighting the police officers as they tried to take him down the wheelchair ramp. Walker was about to turn his attention back to Alex when he saw Grove's face change into pure anger. Then he could hear a familiar voice talking to another officer through the screen door and knew now what got Groves so angry.

"Alex, tell Keaton to wait inside." His voice was strained which got his wife to run her hand through his hair. "I'm okay, really." He reached up, took hold of her hand then kissed it. "Be there for our daughter and Keaton."

"Hey boy! Get out here and say hi to your old man!" Groves violently cursed at his son. "Come on out!"

The screen door banged open and Walker could hear Keaton's sneakers as they thudded across the porch. "I had enough with your jealousness! I'm almost twenty. I'm my own individual who is going to college and doing something with his life! I will never end up like you! You hear that!" The young man threw a curse at his father. "I hate you!"

Walker gradually got to his elbows then turned his head to see Groves still fighting the officers. Keaton had made his way to his father and was now face to face with him. The young man glanced over his shoulder to look at Walker who was laying on the porch with Alex by his side. Anger flashed over Keaton's face as his right hand tightened into a fist.

"Keaton, it's not worth it!" Walker tried to get up, but nearly screamed at the pain in his back. "Just let him be." He grimaced as a loud smack and another told him Keaton had punched his father. "Keaton, enough!"

Keaton had heard Walker yelling at him from the porch, but his mind was on one thing. The man before him had made his life and the lives of his friends a living hell. Because of his father Walker can no longer walk and was in pain nearly every day. His fist had acted on it's own and after he had given his father a few good hits he was thrown to the ground by two other police officers. This got his father to laugh at him which just made him even more furious. He began to fight the officers hold on his arms as his father was taken away and out of sight. No, he wanted to finish it!

"Keaton!" Jimmy appeared in his sight and told the officers to let him go. "It's okay. Walker and everybody else is fine. Your father didn't harm any of them."

"But Walker is out of his chair…"

Jimmy smiled. "He took your father on. Walker tackled your father to the ground and I think he broke Groves' shoulder." He held his hand out. "Come on, Walker wants to see you."

Using his friend's hand to help him up Keaton then turned to the porch to see paramedics loading Walker onto a stretcher. He took a deep breath before he walked to the man's side.

Keaton smiled down at the man who has become like a father to him. "Walker, are you okay?"

Walker nodded. "Yeah, just a precaution." He took hold of Keaton's hand. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"Dad!" Angela ran out of the house and to Walker's side. "I'm so sorry. The police wouldn't let me come out here to help you."

"It's okay." Keaton could see Walker's eyes glistening as he looked up at his daughter. "Don't worry they were just doing their job."

Keaton nearly had a chuckle at this. "That they were." He moved over so the paramedics could do their job. Gently he pulled on Angela's arm and she reluctantly left her father's side to give Keaton a hug. "I'm so sorry, Angela. If I have never met you, this won't be happening right now." He rubbed his friend's back, his emotions for her stronger than they ever have been before.

Angela shook her head. "Don't say that, none of this is your fault." She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Don't ever blame yourself." A smile spread across her face as the sparkle returned to her eyes. "Have you been working out?"

Embarrassed Keaton rubbed the back of his neck. "The college that I go to offers judo classes. Thought, why not." He could feel his cheeks flush. "You look beautiful, Angie."

He could see her cheeks blush as well. "Thank you." Her attention went back to her father. "Why is he out of his wheelchair?"

A broad smile spread across Keaton's face. "According to Alex, he took my dad on. Got him into an arm bar and broke his shoulder." Both had a chuckle at this and Keaton's mood lifted. "It seems your father is back to his old self again."

**Two Days Later**

After the fight with Groves, Walker was taken to the hospital where surgeons had agreed to go ahead and operate on his spine that night to help reduce the pain he was in. Today Walker laid in a hospital bed feeling nothing all thanks to the pain medication pumping through his body. The surgery had been a success and the doctors were able to reconstruct his vertebrae using what they called "bone bark". That part of his back, once healed will be forever fused together, but at least the painful spasms should decrease.

He slowly looked around to see he was alone at the moment while his family went to get something to eat. This gave him time to replay what had happened on the porch in his mind. It went by so quickly that he still didn't know how he had managed to get the man in an arm bar. But it did make him feel good. He knew now he could defend himself and his family if the time called for it. Hopefully he can start Aikido classes once his spine heals.

The door to his room opened, but instead of family he saw Doctor Richardson. "Hey, doc."

"Walker." A nurse walked in after him and both went to Walker's side. "How's the pain?"

"Good." Walker lifted his left hand to show the doctor the morphine drip button. "But I have a feeling that's going away soon."

"Tomorrow, actually." Richardson patted Walker's shoulder. "Okay, roll over to your left side so I can check the surgery site."

With help from the nurse Walker got onto his left side and with the movement brought on new pain. He winced then gritted his teeth as the pain throbbed up his back. Richardson gently pressed around Walker's spine which nearly got him to jump.

"A little bit of inflammation, but nothing too severe." He patted Walker's shoulder then helped him roll to his back. "So far, so good. Within six months you'll be able to start participating in sports and live a normal, active life."

Walker smiled at this news. "That's great to hear." He shifted his weight till he was a bit more comfortable then nodded his head. "Thanks, doctor."

Richardson shrugged. "Not a problem. I'm going to check on my other patients, but don't be afraid to call for help if you feel slight discomfort or pain."

As he left Keaton came walking in with a balloon in one hand and a take out bag in the other. He closed the door behind him, placed the items on the bed table then sat down next to Walker. In just a few years the young man has grown and Walker could see he was starting to put on a little more weight. Keaton was turning into a man. Amazing how fast that happens to teenagers.

Keaton smiled at Walker. "Hey, Alex and Angie are still at dinner. I wanted to talk to you alone, to get your opinion on something."

Walker sat up straighter then tried to ignore the pain it caused him. "What's on your mind?"

The young man breathed in heavily then began to play with the sheet corner. "You know how me and Angela have known each for a long time?"

Walker nodded knowing where this might be going. He always knew that Keaton had his heart set on Angela, but he never had the courage to ask her out. Their first real date was senior prom a few years ago and since then, they have remained just friends.

"I…" Keaton rubbed his hand through his short brown hair then leaned back into the chair. "Walker, I know we're still young, and it won't happen till we both get out of college…" He sighed heavily then nodded his head. "I want to ask your daughter to marry me." The question took Walker by surprise and at first he didn't know what to say which got Keaton even more nervous. "I'm sorry, I know I rushed it…"

"No, it's not that." Walker smiled at the young man seated next to him. "I love for you to marry my daughter." He could feel tears coming to his eyes and he quickly cleared his throat. "I know Angie will agree with me." He took hold of Keaton's hand and gave it a good squeeze. "Should we tell Alex?"

Keaton laughed. "Not yet. She'll spoil the surprise." He nodded at Walker. "Thank you."

"We'll keep it a secret for now. But start saving up money and really think about this. Marriage is a big decision in somebody's life."

"So I hear. How did you purpose to Alex?"

Walker laughed. "That was an adventure, one me and Alex will never forget." The smile slowly faded from his face as the memories came back to him. "I was going to purpose at a friend's wedding. Guess it just hit me right, but something had happened and Alex got shot. Nearly lost her that day." He took a deep breath as a smile spread across his face once more. "Well, long story short, while she was in the hospital," He shrugged. "I purposed. Not very romantic, but it's definitely a time we will never forget."

Keaton glanced down at his hands and shook his head. "Your family had to deal with so much pain." He sighed heavily. "Angela has told me a few stories, some even seem far fetched, but I know they are real." He took a deep breath then smiled at Walker. "I will be the man she needs me to be. No matter what happens, I'll be there for her. Just like you are with Alex." He leaned over and gave Walker a gentle hug. "I'll promise you that."


	13. Chapter 13

**Five Years Later**

The world in which Walker now lived in was so completely different it still took some adjusting. For the most part he was completely independent and was able to do most things on his own. But it still frustrated him that he couldn't do what he use to love. Though he still taught karate, it was tough to teach the kids certain moves. However, he did join a handicap jujitsu class which helped immensely with keeping his upper-body in shape.

He rolled into the living room where his dog Leroy laid by the fireplace, cooling himself off on the brick. Though he didn't need a service dog, with his age his doctor suggested he should start to train with one. Leroy's head perked up at the sound of him sifting through yesterday's mail then he slowly stood up and made his way to Walker.

"Hey, Leroy!" Walker scratched the dog between the ears. "Where did Alex go?"

Walker threw away the junk mail then made his way to the kitchen where he saw a note on the refrigerator. After he read it, a smile spread across his face so big it seemed to stretch from ear to ear. Alex was picking up their daughter from DFW and according to Angela she had a big surprise for them. Maybe Keaton finally proposed to her.

The front door opened and judging by the pace of the footsteps, it was his friend, Francis Gage. Leroy didn't bark, instead he just laid down beside Walker's chair, calmly waiting for any command. His friend went into the kitchen where he sat down at the breakfast table.

"Going to physical therapy today?"

Walker made his way to his friend's side. "Yeah, then I have jujitsu class soon after."

Gage leaned back into his seat. "How is that coming along?"

"Doing good." Walker went to the table where his wrist brace sat. "Have a belt test in a week." He put the brace on then smiled up at his friend. "How is little Gabby?"

"Doing great. She loves kindergarten." Gage shook his head. "Just wish me and Sydney could have a baby together…" His voice faded as his attention drifted to the table top. "Feel like I let her down, you know?"

This got Walker to roll his chair closer to his friend. "It's not your fault. Doesn't make you any less of a man."

"I know, but men are suppose to, you know…" Gage blushed as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "Just won't have anybody to pass the name down to."

"You have Gabby who has taken to you two as though you were her real parents." Walker smiled at his friend. "I know she'll name her kid Francis, just for you."

This got Gage to laugh then shake his head. "I will make sure that doesn't happen." He nodded at Leroy. "How is the dog working for you?"

Walker gave a shrug. "They think since I'm eighty, I need a freaking dog to get around." He wheeled the chair backwards to get him a glass of water. "I really don't need Leroy, but Doctor Richardson suggested I learn how to use a dog."

Gage gave Walker a disbelieving look. "You're not eighty. Are you?"

"How old do you think I am?" Walker started to chuckle. "I had Angela when I was fifty-seven." He got a glass of water then an apple from a basket on the counter. "Age was one of the reasons why Alex had problems during pregnancy."

"How old is Alex?" Gage asked in a whisper.

"Younger than me." Walker got a playful punch on the shoulder from Gage. "Don't tell her, that I told you, but she's seventy-one. Hey, at least I'm older than my wife…" He raised his hands up in defense.

Gage laughed. "She's older than me by six months." He shook his head. "Man, you don't look your age at all, Walker. Hope when I'm eighty I look as good as you."

Walker bit into the apple then gave his friend a shrug. "You still got some good years left in you. If it makes you happy, you don't look your age either." He rolled his chair backwards then headed for the living room. "What do you have planned today? I have some time to kill before Alex comes home with Angela."

"Angela's coming home?" A smile spread across Gage's face as he patted Walker on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Didn't think it was necessary." Walker chuckled at his friend's reaction. "Hang on, let me see when she is arriving." He quickly went to the hallway table where his cell phone sat. Maybe Alex had left him a voice message giving more details about his daughter's flight. He flipped it open to see there was a text message. "Okay, Alex said Angie's flight comes in at nine-thirty and they're getting breakfast afterward. They won't be coming home till late afternoon." He flipped his phone closed. "Let's get breakfast. Your car or mine?"

Gage let out a heavy sigh. "If you don't mind, my car."

"Not a problem." Walker patted his right wheel. "Leroy, let's suit up."

After putting on the dog's work vest, Walker took hold of the short, thick leash then allowed Leroy to pull him towards the door. One nice thing about having a dog it did give him a much needed break. Several years of martial arts left his hands arthritic and with the partial use of his left it has gotten a little difficult to push the chair on a daily basis.

Leroy eagerly went to the door, pawed the handle till it unlatched then took hold of a leather strap which he pulled backwards. Walker rubbed the dog between the ears as he took hold of the door's edge. Gage, looking impressed held it open while Walker and Leroy made their way onto the front porch.

"So, whose getting lazy now?" Gage chuckled as he closed and locked the door behind them. "What else does he do?"

"Grab my drinks for me. Dances on command." He looked up to see a bewildered expression on Gage's face. "I was joking." He started to laugh as Gage let out a sigh. "Really he just picks up items I tend to drop and can actually take money from cashiers."

Gage nodded. "Cool. I bet that came in handy a few times."

"Yeah, it has, actually."

Walker went to Gage's car, thankful he decided to drive the family sedan for the day. Most of the time he drove a vintage muscle car, which had been okay until about six months ago when Walker got Leroy. Ever since then there has been a fear of Leroy scratching up the leather seats, which according to Gage was original to the car. However, Walker hardly believed that.

Gage opened the back door and with one command from Walker, Leroy jumped in and obediently laid down on the seat. Walker then undid the straps around his waist and legs so he could get inside Gage's car. He slid in with relative ease, situated his legs till they sat comfortably then buckled himself in. Once Gage put the chair in the trunk he got inside the car and started it up.

"C.D.'s or Downtown Diner?"

"Where else?" This got a chuckle from Gage. "Yeah, can't beat the omelets at C.D.'s."

**Dallas/Fort Worth Airport**

Just outside the terminal stood several people who were waiting on either loved ones or friends to get off the incoming flight. Alex Cahill-Walker was one of them and she impatiently waited on her daughter who had told her last night she had incredible news to tell her and Walker. Angie didn't want Walker to know she was visiting, but Alex knew he would want to know so she left a note for him on the refrigerator and a text on his phone. She had just gotten a text back telling her simply: **Have fun and give Angela an extra hug and kiss for me.**

Her heart began to flutter as people started to file out of the tunnel which led out to the plane. After several groups walked out, she spotted her daughter who had her laptop bag slung over her right shoulder. Instantly Alex started waving her arm in the air till her daughter took notice. Angela beamed and her pace quickened as she made her way pass groups of people.

"Mom!" Angela ran up to Alex and gave her a big hug. "So good to see you!"

Alex pulled back to look her daughter in the eyes. "Angie, how have you been?"

"Frustrated, but that all changed three days ago." She started to walk towards the baggage carousel. "Never thought med-school could drag on like it is." She shook her head. "Almost done though. Thank goodness."

"How is your residence coming along?"

"That's the frustrating part. Just got done with a twenty-seven hour shift." She spotted her one and only bag and snatched it from the carousel. "But I'm glad I decided to go into trauma medicine. Really love working in the ER." Angela pulled the top handle from her bag then allowed Alex to guide her out of the crowd of people. "How's dad?"

"He's finally allowing Leroy to help him out." Alex shook her head. "Your father can be so stubborn sometimes."

Angela chuckled. "Tell me about it." She weaved her way through the crowd till they came upon the exit to the parking garage. "I'm glad to hear he's finally using a service dog. His hands aren't how they use to be."

Alex slowly nodded her head. "And he doesn't want to admit it." She held the door open for her daughter. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving. C.D.'s?"

"Sure, your father might be their with Uncle Gage." Alex flipped her phone open to call her husband. "What to break the news early?"

This got a huge smile on Angela's face. "Definitely!"

**C.D.'s Bar and Grill**

At the restaurant Walker made his way through the sea of tables, his attitude much chipper than it usually was. He had just gotten a call from his wife and she was on her way now with Angela. Wonder what the big news was about? Better be that Keaton had finally proposed to here. Walker knew for the last two years, Keaton had been saving money to buy an engagement ring.

Gage sat down with a huff. "I'm starving." He picked up the menu, but quickly put it down. "So, Angie's coming here?"

"Yeah, kind of nervous." Walker chuckled as Jessica, their waitress placed two water glasses down on their table. "Hey, Jessica. I'll just have the usual." He handed her the menu as Gage ordered the same.

"Well, it can only be good news." Gage leaned back into his seat then shook his head. "Still can't believe Angela decided to go into medicine. Could have sworn she would have turned to law enforcement like Keaton."

Walker shrugged. "I think the car accident effected her more than we think." He picked up his cell phone as it started to ring. "It's Keaton." He quickly flipped it open. "Hey, Keaton, how's it going?"

"Doing great. Hey, are you at C.D.'s? I need to have a talk with you."

"Yeah, Angie will be here in about twenty minutes."

Keaton let out a nervous chuckle. "Great." He paused for awhile. "Well, hopefully she and I can actually talk this time."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'll explain when I get there."

When Walker flipped the phone closed he shook his head. "Well, I don't think Keaton proposed to Angela." His voice showed his heartache. "She and Keaton apparently aren't talking to each other." He shrugged at Gage. "If it's Jackson, I'll be really happy for her."

Gage had a laugh at this. "Course you would, isn't he going for Neurology?" Jessica brought their food to them and he nodded his thanks. "He's a great guy too, but I prefer Keaton." He gave Walker an innocent shrug. "But what do I know."

Footsteps behind Walker made him turn his head slightly to see who it was. He let out a huge smile as he unlocked the breaks so he could spin around. Standing before him was Keaton Groves all dressed up in his Highway Patrol uniform. Walker would have never thought when he first meant Keaton he would pick a career in law enforcement. However, two years ago, he made a vow to Walker that he will become a Texas Ranger. Amazing how time helped change Keaton's and Angela's career paths.

Keaton bent down and gave Walker a hug. "Walker, nice to see you."

"Same to you, Keaton." Walker waved to the table as he turned his chair. "Why don't you get something to eat. It's on me."

"Sure." He sat down across from Gage. "Hey, Gage. How's Gabby and Sydney doing?"

Gage beamed. "Doing great. Gabby is enjoying kindergarten and Sydney, amazingly enough likes being a stay at home mom." He began to eat his omelet. "But I can tell it kind of frustrates her that I'm still working and going on cases." He playfully nudged Walker's shoulder. "You know how Shorty gets."

"Do I ever." Walker wiped his mouth with a napkin as he turned his attention to Keaton. "So, how is the DPS treating you?"

"Oh, it has its ups and downs. For one I hate just driving around, waiting for something to happen. Luckily enough, on weekends there are plenty of drunks to keep me busy."

Walker chuckled. "I remember those days well. But if you keep at it, a few more years and you can transfer to the PD if you want."

"You weren't a highway patrolmen, were you?" Asked Keaton after he finished ordering himself a platter of pancakes. "I mean, you don't' seem like the uniform and tie kind of guy."

"Yeah, I did a three year stint in Highway then I moved to PD for five years." Walker shrugged. "It would have been four years in PD, but I failed the Ranger test my first time going for it."

Gage nearly choked on his food. "You did! I didn't know about this. What did you fail on?"

"Marksmanship." Walker laughed at his friend's reaction. "Worked really hard after the test on improving my skills. The following year, went for it again and passed with ease." He gave his friend another shrug. "Think it was nerves that got me the first time."

"Wow, never would have thought that." Gage glanced up then nudged Walker's shoulder. "Angie and Alex are here."

When Angela walked into C.D.'s she didn't expect to see Keaton to be with her father and uncle. She had stopped in her tracks not too sure what to say or do. Her mother gave her a gentle pat on the back which urged her to move forward. Why was Keaton here?

Her father went up to her with a huge smile on his face. "Angie, Alex come join us!"

Angela gave her a father a hug then turned to the table to see Keaton's attention was on the paper placemat in front of him. Now, more than ever the nerves hit her and if her father or mother wasn't here, she would have walked out. Instead, she went and motioned for her uncle to scoot over so she can sit down. Keaton didn't say anything, instead he scooted over so Angela's mother could sit next to him.

She reached down and rubbed Leroy between the ears. "Well, guess I should just tell you the news." She bit her lower lip as she looked at Keaton. After taking several deep breaths she reached inside her sweater pocket for her engagement ring. "Jackson proposed to me."

Keaton slammed his hands on the table top. "You just HAD to say it front of me!" Her mother quickly got up and stood behind dad. "Well, congratulations! You'll be marrying Mr. Perfect!"

"Keaton!" Angela stood to her feet as anger flushed her cheeks a bright red. "He loves me! Can you not understand that!"

"Oh, he does now?!" Keaton stepped up to her and shook his head. "You have only known the man for two years! How do you really know that he is the one!"

"Keaton, calm down." Angela's father gently pulled at Keaton's arm. "Let's have a talk."

Keaton pulled his hand away from her father's grip. "I thought you were better than that, Angie!" He shook his head. "I got to go."


	14. Chapter 14

Walker watched the young man leave the restaurant and knew he had to go after him. He turned to Gage who didn't hide his shock at the argument that just took place before them.

"Watch Leroy for me." He took one look at his daughter, who was being comforted by his wife then made his way towards the door. As he was about to push the handicap button to swing it open, Trivette came walking in. "Sorry Jimmy, can't talk now. Have you seen Keaton?"

Trivette, who looked a little lost pointed to his left. "He went that way, towards the old armory. He looked a bit upset. Is everything okay?"

"No, I'll talk to you about it later." Walker went out the door which was held open for him by Trivette. "See you in a bit."

Once outside Walker pushed the wheels on his chair forward, hoping nobody would get in his way. He studied the street before him till he spotted Keaton's tan uniform. He picked up his pace which made his left wrist to throb and his right hand to ache. It hurt Walker to see Keaton like this, so full of pain over Angela's decision.

"Keaton!" Walker cursed as the man picked up his pace. "Damn it, stop!" Keaton skidded to a stop, his back heaving up and down as he tightened his hands into fists. "Keaton, what the hell has gotten into you!" Walker braked so hard his wheels actually squeaked against the brick.

Keaton spun around and threw a small, black box at Walker. "What do you want me to say!" He stepped up to Walker, his face flushed with anger. "I failed your daughter, Walker!"

"You didn't fail her, Keaton." Walker glanced down at the black box in his lap. "When were you going to ask her?"

"That's why I needed to talk to you." Keaton's shoulders slumped forward in defeat. "I had everything planned out." He pulled a piece of a paper from his back pocket and handed it to Walker. "I was hoping I could borrow the ranch for a night and do this whole romantic thing. Hell, I even took up cooking and dancing lessons for her." He began to pace in front of Walker. "I've been eating ramen noodles for a year straight so I could pull this off just right." His fists tightened once more as anger flashed across his face. "Then Mr. Perfect, Jackson Maloney comes along! I can't ever compete with him!"

Walker glanced around him, thankful The Stockyards was relatively quiet during this time of day. "Jackson isn't perfect…"

Keaton shook his head. "Walker, he's freaking GQ! He's rich and he's going to be a freaking brain surgeon!" He pulled at his uniform top. "I'm a freaking cop! And you know we don't get paid very well!"

"True, but we help people…"

"Just forget it, Walker!" Keaton waved at Walker then started walking again. "Don't go looking for me. I need to vent! See you around!"

Walker watched as the young man stormed off, his heart torn in two. One part of him was extremely happy for Angela and Jackson, the other part was sadden at Keaton's loss. Poor Keaton, he loved Angela since they were both fifteen and had planned on marrying her. But in one quick moment that hope, that dream was all destroyed. He should head back to see how Angela was doing. She seemed to have taken the arguement really hard.

He turned his chair around then started to head back towards C.D.'s. Whatever happened between Keaton and Angela ruined their relationship. Hopefully he could figure it out before either one of them made a big mistake.

Back at C.D.'s Alex sat in a corner booth trying to comfort her crying daughter the best she could. What on Earth had happened between her and Keaton that would get her this upset? She looked up to see Jimmy standing close by, his face showing his obvious worry. This should be a happy occasion for them all since Angela is getting married to a wonderful man who loves her very much. But the question on Alex's mind is why Angela didn't wait for Keaton? Maybe her daughter thought their relationship couldn't go any farther than just being friends. But Alex felt the same way about Walker at one time and actually chuckled at the thought of marrying him.

"Mom, what am I going to do?" Angela whimpered out as she pulled back to wipe her face. "I really love Jackson. I just wish Keaton could see that."

"He will, give him time." Alex put her hand under her daughters chin then gently lifted up. "He'll be there for you…"

Angela shook her head. "No, he won't." She sniffled. "A few weeks back he surprised me at Duke. He had done everything right. Bought me my favorite flowers, candy and even offered to take me out to the restaurant of my choice. Unfortunately, he walked into the ER when I was giving Jackson a good-bye kiss." She began to cry once again. "He dropped everything he was holding and ran off. I had to go after him to try and explain…" Her voice broke with emotion as she began to cry harder. "Mom, I got mad at him for flying all the way to North Carolina to see me. I told him I didn't want to talk to him again and he didn't."

Alex gave Angela a stronger hug. "Oh, Angie. When did Jackson propose to you?"

"Three days ago." Angela shook her head. "Did I make the right choice? Keaton flew all that way to just surprise me and yet Jackson has problems figuring out what to do for my birthday." She sniffled then took a deep breath. "But I love Jackson…"

"As long as you love him and are willing to be with him through the toughest times, then I approve of Jackson." Alex ran her hand through her daughter's hair then turned as Walker came back into C.D.'s. "Hang on, I'm going to have a quick talk with your father."

Alex stood up then went over to Walker who was sitting by a table. She pulled out one of the chairs then placed it front of him. As she sat down, Walker discreetly handed her a black ring box.

"Oh, no." Alex slowly sat down as she looked her husband in the eyes. "He was going to propose to her." A hand went to her mouth when she opened it up. "Oh my, it's beautiful." She quickly closed the box then let out a cough as though to clear her throat. "What should we do now?"

Walker shrugged. "Be there for the both of them, no matter the decisions they make."

**Later That Night**

The ranch house was quiet as Walker made his way onto the back porch where his wife sat in the swing drinking a glass of warm tea. She smiled at Walker as she scooted over to allow room for him to sit next to her. Walker smiled back as he lifted himself up and onto the swing. Once next to her Alex threw a blanket over his legs then snuggled into his side. Both of them had a busy and tiring day, but one thing still sat on their minds. Since Angela came home with them, she hasn't spoken a word.

Alex sighed heavily. "Do you think Angie is having second thoughts?"

Walker wrapped his arm around his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "If she is, then Jackson isn't the one for her."

"That's what I'm afraid of." She shook her head. "What drove Angela to say yes to Jackson and not Keaton? You think it's because of their friendship?"

"It better not be the friendship." He smiled as he hugged Alex closer to him. "I mean, look at us. Course we weren't always friends."

Alex laughed as the memories came back to her. "I remember very well." She shook her head. "If anybody told me back then we would get married…"

"I would have laughed." Walker finished the sentence for his wife making both laugh even harder. "So glad I got up the courage to kiss you at that New Years Eve party." He gave his wife a kiss then glanced down as Leroy let out a loud yawn. "Thank you for staying with me through everything. It's been tough getting use to…"

His wife put her finger to his mouth. "I know." She kissed him on the lips then patted his knee, which he saw but didn't feel. Walker took a glance at his thin legs then let out a heavy sigh. "I will always love you, Walker. You're still the same man I meant all those years ago."

Walker took a deep breath. "You're right." He patted his leg, a signal for Leroy to come to his side. Walker reached down then scratched Leroy between the ears. He took a deep breath then turned his body to get a better look at his wife. "Thank you, for fighting for Leroy." He sighed heavily then gave his wife a sheepish grin. "He's grown on me." With another pat, this time against his chest, Leroy put his front paws on Walker's lap. "Have to admit, he's come in handy numerous times."

Alex reached over to pet Leroy. "I'm glad you like him. He'll help you get your independence back." She looked past him as the screen door squeaked open. "Angela, come here and sit next to your dad." When Angela did, she bowed her head and started to chew on her thumbnail. "What's going on sweetie?"

Angela took a deep breath. "I don't know." She put her hand down to look at her father. "Dad, mom, am I making the right decision? I just don't know anymore." She stood up and began to pace. "I thought I loved Jackson, but seeing Keaton's face today after I told you guys about the engagement…"

"Oh, honey." Alex quickly got up and hugged their daughter. "Jackson's a great guy, I know you made the right decision."

"I'm hoping I did." She took a deep breath then shook her head. "I'm going back inside." She kissed Walker on the forehead then gave him a hug. "Love you two."

**Addison, Texas **

His apartment was quiet as Keaton walked in after having a few beers at a local bar. Though it was early in the day, he needed something to calm his nerves. He threw his keys into a wooden bowl by his door then took off his thermal lined zip-up. It had been a rough day for him, especially since his mind was on Angela. How could she say yes to a man she just met? What had gotten into her? He took off his ball cap, threw it on the couch then made his way to the kitchen to get some water.

A knock came at his door and he let out a grunt of disapproval at the interruption. He grudgingly went to the door then peered through the peephole to see who it was. There, standing in the hallway was Marc Trivette with a brown paper bag in his hands.

Keaton undid the chain lock then pulled the door open. "What the hell do you want?" Marc shoved the bag into Keaton's arms. "What the hell is this?"

"I bet you haven't had dinner yet. In there is a sandwich, chips and soup." Marc patted Keaton's shoulder as he made his way pass him. "How many beers you had?"

"Three." Keaton closed the door, his stomach growling at the smell of the turkey sandwich. "Thanks, man." He went and sat down at the dining room table. "So, did your dad force you to come here?"

Marc sat down next to Keaton. "He told me what had happened at C.D.'s this morning and I know you too well." He pointed a finger at Keaton. "What did you do with the ring? Please don't tell me you pawned it."

Keaton rolled his eyes at his friend. "No, I didn't pawn it." He took a huge bite of the sandwich then wiped his hands. "How's PD treating you?"

"Doing okay, considering. I get a harassed for graduating college so early. The guys keep calling me; "Dougie PD"." He grabbed a chip and popped it into his mouth. "Where's the ring?"

"I kind of threw it at Walker." Keaton sighed heavily then shook his head. "I was so mad at her, Marc. How could she choose Mr. GQ?"

"Because she loves him." Marc leaned back into his chair and laced his hands behind his head. "It's Angie. She always think things through." He began to rock his chair on it's back legs. "You should be there for her."

"I don't know." Keaton finished his sandwich and chips then got up to put the soup in the refrigerator. "How can I if I despise the guy so much?"

Marc walked into the kitchen behind Keaton. "You didn't hate him till you took that unexpected trip down to Duke to see her. Then you saw her kissing Jackson and flipped out." He leaned against the counter. "Just saying, you have a temper. Need to watch it."

Keaton turned to his friend and slowly nodded. "You're right." He ran his hands through his hair. "Man, I acted like my father."

"Oh, you will _never _get that way." Marc gave Keaton a smile very similar to his father's. "You are far better than that." He leaned forward and slapped Keaton's shoulder. "Come on, let's get some of that anger out on that war video game you just bought."

This got a chuckle from Keaton. "I will beat you this time!" He patted his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, Marc for coming over."

**The Next Afternoon**

At physical therapy, Walker laid on a low flat bed as Johnny, his therapist moved and bent his legs. His hands rested on his chest as he closed his eyes at possibly the most boring part of his day. Since he had a complete paralyzes of the legs, he couldn't feel or move them no matter how much he wanted to. His body moved ever so slightly which told him Johnny was not yet done. He slowly opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling tiles then turned his head to check on Leroy. A smile almost crossed his face to see the dog had stood to attention.

"It's okay, Leroy." He reached over and petted the dog between the ears. "Lay back down. I won't be done for awhile."

Johnny had Walker's left leg bent and slightly pushed it forward. "How is Leroy working for you?"

"Not going to lie, he has really grown on me." Walker slightly sat up by using his elbows. "Surprised at how much more independent I became with him. And to think, I didn't want a dog." Walker began to laugh as he laid back down. "Boy, was I stupid."

"Nah, you were just stubborn." His therapist let out a chuckle then patted Walker's leg. "Okay, let's start on the abdomen drills."

Johnny reached forward to pull Walker into a sitting position . Because of where the damage was to Walker's spine, he lost some control in his abdominal muscles. This irritated him since he didn't like to ask people for help. One of the reasons why he has grown to like Leroy so much. Thanks to having a service dog he was now much more independent than how he use to be.

After sitting for a bit, Walker slowly laid back down then tried to sit up on his own. He did this several times till it finally wore him out. He never would have thought sitting up and down would be so exhausting till he lost the use of his legs. Boy the things he use to take for granted when he was able.

His cell phone rang which still sat in a pocket of the bag on his wheelchair. Walker groaned as he sat up with Johnny's help and quickly saw Leroy pawing at the bag's pocket. Well, Walker now knew he will have to make the phone more reachable for Leroy.

"Let me help him out." Johnny quickly got up and went to Walker's wheelchair. He unzipped the side pocket of the bag which gave Leroy room to grab the phone gently between his teeth. "Where the hell did you get this dog at?" Johnny said with a laugh.

"You helped me find him." Walker took the phone from Leroy then gave him a good rub on the back. "Thanks, Leroy." He flipped the phone open. "Walker."

"Oh, Walker."

Walker's heart ripped in half at hearing his wife's voice. "Alex, what happened?" When she started to cry harder his heart began to beat faster. "Alex, is it Angela?"

"No, Keaton." She sniffled loudly. "He was shot during a routine traffic stop."

"Oh my God." Walker's hand started to shake as several emotions ran through his mind. "How bad is he?"

"I was told he was conscious, but in a lot of pain." She whimpered then took a deep, shaky breath. "Jimmy and Erica are here right now. They're taking me and Angela to Parkland."

Walker nodded his head. "I'll be right there." After saying a few more words to his wife, Walker flipped his phone closed. "Got to go, Keaton is in the hospital."


	15. Chapter 15

**Parkland Hospital**

The hospital was packed with police officers when Alex walked in with Angela right next to her. Alex glanced around her, surprised to see so many people milling around. Did Keaton really make such a huge impact in his short time as a patrolman? A middle-age man made his way through the crowd then stopped in front of Alex and Angela.

"Alex and Angela Walker, my name is Richard Ballistari. I'm Keaton's friend on the force." He gave them both a friendly hug. "Come into the waiting room."

Ballistari led them to a small room where more police officers sat including two Texas Rangers Alex has seen when visiting Gage at Headquarters. She nodded at the latter of the two then sat down on an available seat. One glance around the room Alex did take note of the officers attitudes and saw no sadness in them. Which meant Keaton's condition was not critical. She actually let out a sigh of relief knowing the man she called a son was okay.

Angela sniffled. "How is Keaton?"

"He's going to be okay." Ballistari rubbed his hand down his face as he took a deep breath. "He was shot close range, but thankfully he had on a bullet proof vest. However one of the shots did graze his neck. He'll be needing stitches for that."

Alex let out a deep sigh then hugged her daughter. "That's great news." She turned to Trivette who was smiling down at her with that grin of his. "So, glad to hear he's going to be just fine. What about the suspect?"

Ballistari turned serious. "After the suspect shot Keaton, he sped off. I was one of the officers in pursuit. After an hour long chase, spike strips finally disabled the suspect's vehicle. The suspect then started to fire on us. It was one of my shots that hit the man in the chest. He died in route to the hospital."

Angela started to cry. "When can we see Keaton?"

"Doctor said in about thirty minutes." He gave Alex and Angela a nod. "You two can see him first." He slightly turned his head as Walker came into the room. "Don't worry, he's going to be just fine."

Alex quickly got up and gave Walker a hug. "He's going to be okay."

"Thank, God." Walker looked up into his wife's eyes. "He was wearing a vest?"

"Yes, but a bullet grazed his neck." Alex could see a cringe cross Walker's face. "We can see him in thirty minutes." She turned around to see Angela being comforted by Erica. "Poor Angela. She's taking this really hard."

Walker rubbed Alex's arm. "She's strong." He glanced around the room. "Has Marc been notified?"

Trivette slowly nodded. "Yeah, he called me a few minutes ago." A smile spread across his face. "There he is now." He went and gave his son a big hug. "Marc, how you doing?"

"I'm good. How's Keaton? Is he okay?"

"Doing good. Don't worry. You'll be able to see him in time." Trivette turned as a doctor came into the room. "Doctor, how's Keaton?"

The doctor nodded his head. "In pain, but doing great. He was shot twice in the chest and he will have deep bruising for several days. His neck wound came close to hitting his jugular. It required twenty stitches to sew up." He glanced around the room. "Any family can see him now while he's in recovery."

"My wife, daughter and I are the only family he has." Walker said as went up to the doctor with Leroy right at his side. "He has no other family."

"Very well. Follow me."

XXXX

The hospital room was cold making Keaton shiver under the blankets. He swallowed hard then closed his eyes to replay what had happened before he got shot. It was suppose to be a routine traffic stop, but little did Keaton know at the time the man had violated parole. He had walked up to the car, had done everything by the book. Then the shots came with such force it took his breath away. It was quiet scary laying there on the side of the road, but help had quickly come for him. Then he found out in the ambulance his friend, Ballistari had shot the man who tried to kill him. He will definitely have to buy Ballistari a drink once he leaves the hospital.

He opened his eyes in time to see Alex, Angela and Walker with Leroy making their way to his bedside. Angela began to cry then turned to her mother who gave her a big hug. Walker pushed his chair till he was right at Keaton's bedside.

"How you feeling, Keaton?" Walker reached up and took hold of Keaton's hand. "How's your neck?"

Keaton slowly nodded. "Painful, but tolerable." His hand slowly went to his chest. "Glad I had my vest on." Alex went to Keaton's other side to kiss him on the forehead. "Sorry to have scared you guys." Angela shook her head then left the room before Keaton could say anything to her. "Is Angie okay?"

Alex shook her head. "She's taking this really hard. Just let her vent." She glanced at Walker then back at Keaton. "How do you feel now about being an officer?"

"Scared as hell, but determined." A smile went across his face as Ballistari walked up behind Walker. "Ballistari, I owe you a drink."

Ballistari shook Keaton's hand. "I'll hold you on that."

Keaton grimaced as he shifted his weight. "Docs say I can leave tonight." He sheepishly looked at Walker. "I have no clothes though."

Alex gave him a smile. "Don't worry, we'll get you some clothes." She patted Keaton's hand. "And you'll be staying with us for a bit."

"Thanks." Keaton took a deep breath, wincing at the pain in his chest. "I appreciate it."

**Two Days Later**

Staying at the Walker's brought back many memories for Keaton who use to stay at the house for days at a time to get away from his father. He sipped some coffee as he made his way into the living room. Here he slowly sat down on the sofa, still tender from the bruises to his chest. Tomorrow he will be moving back to his apartment, but before he did so he wanted to have a nice talk with Angela. She leaves later tonight for Durham which meant he had to tone down his anger. He took another sip as the sound of nails clicking against the wooden floorboards told him Walker was out of the shower. Sure enough, the older gentleman came out of the door that use to be the spare bedroom dressed for the day.

Keaton still felt guilty for what had happened to Walker that night. Even though many had told him it wasn't his fault, it was his father that permanently damaged Walker's spine. Now, Walker had to use a wheelchair to get around which Keaton could tell wore on the man. At least his father was now in jail for what he had done and will not be up for probation till another five years.

Walker pushed his chair forward then stopped in front of the couch. "How you feeling today?"

"Doing better." He lifted his shirt to show the deep bruises to Walker. "I now feel like I just got punched and not shot." He chuckled and shook his head. "How many times have you been shot, Walker?"

"Too many to count." Walker started to laugh. "Trivette use to say, I had the heart of a lion, but a brain of a rock."

Keaton also began to laugh. "Yeah, I remember some of the stories Angie has told me about you. Some of the things are way out of the norm." He leaned forward to look Walker right in the eyes. "Like you took on several gang members on your own, not once but several times. Or how about you landing a few planes." Walker actually blushed. "Why haven't you been nominated for the hall of fame yet?"

Walker shrugged. "There are plenty more Rangers that deserve it." He stretched then checked his watch. "Where's Angela and Alex?"

"I think out shopping." Keaton took a deep breath as his attention drifted to the window. "I need to talk to her Walker before she leaves." He glanced back at the older man. "But she leaves in five hours."

"Well, we can meet them wherever they may be at."

Keaton bit his lower lip. "You think that will seem too desperate?"

"Nah, it'll show Angie you care." Walker gave Keaton a smile. "Besides you need to get out after what had happened."

"Very well." Keaton finished his coffee then got to his feet. "Let me take a shower and we can be on our way."

An hour later Keaton and Walker found themselves at the Grapevine Mall which was relatively quiet for this time of day. Walker actually enjoyed shopping here, it had ample space in the walkways to allow maneuverability for him and Leroy. As he pushed his wheels forward, Keaton walked in pace with him. Walker glanced up at the young man, amazed at how much he had changed in just a few years. Keaton was now six feet and thanks to martial arts training he was now quite muscular. If anybody from high school was to look at him now, they will never recognize him.

Keaton slowed down to peer through a store's window. "Do you think she will talk to me, Walker?"

"Not sure." Walker peered through the window to see several video games on display. "Hopefully she will. It's not like her to clam up like this." He motioned to the store. "Want to go in?"

Keaton shrugged. "Sure."

Once in the store, Walker realized their wasn't a whole lot of space for him and Leroy. It frustrated him to be in stores like this, but held his anger in check. He watched as Keaton checked a few games while a young child went directly towards Leroy. Walker smiled at the boy, who was probably three as he lumbered up to Leroy who obediently lowered his head to allow the child to pet him.

"Doggie!" The boy hugged Leroy tightly around the neck. "Doggie!"

A young woman quickly ran up to them with an older boy close behind her. "I'm so sorry, sir. Come on, Jacob. Leave doggie alone."

Walker smiled up at the woman. "It's okay." He shrugged. "He's not on duty right now."

She smiled as she picked up Jacob. "That's good. I know what it's like to have a service dog. My brother uses one." She reached down and patted Leroy on the back. "Let's go kids."

After the family left Keaton went up to Walker and patted him on the shoulder. "Didn't have the game I was looking for." He patted Leroy on the head. "How many times does that happen to you?"

"Several times." Walker chuckled. "It's no big deal, especially if Leroy isn't working." He started to push his chair backwards. "Let's try to find Angela."

Once back into the main walkway, Walker noticed the mall had gotten slightly busier. He maneuvered his chair through the crowd till he managed to get a clear path. If he just had use of his legs he wouldn't be having this problem. Keaton tried to walk next to him, but was quickly forced back by a wave of teenagers.

"Aren't they suppose to be in school?" He ran to catch up with Walker. "Should try and meet up with Angie and Alex soon."

"You're right." Walker rounded a corner and ran right into a group of teenage boys. "Sorry, excuse me."

One of the boys laughed. "Hey, it's a cripple!"

"Stop it, Sean. That's Walker, my Kickstart instructor." A smaller boy made his way to the front of the crowd. "Sorry, Mr. Walker. Let's go guys."

Walker smiled up at Jerome. "How's it going, Jerome?"

Jerome gave Walker a shrug. "Not too bad. My little sister signed up for Kickstart. She'll be starting next year." He smiled big. "Hopefully you'll be the one teaching her."

"Well, that's great too hear." Walker checked his watch then shook his head. "Aren't you suppose to be in school?"

Jerome shrugged his shoulders. "School was cut short because of flooding in the basement." He smiled. "I know not to skip classes, sir."

Another boy playfully shoved Jerome in the arm. "Suck up. Let's go."

Walker had a chuckle at the boys then continued to move through the busy walkway towards the large food court. After a few minutes of pushing he decided to allow Leroy to pull him through the crowds. His left wrist throbbed and as he flexed his fingers he was reminded of his disability. Because of the damage done to his wrist, he had lost most feeling in the hand. This caused his fingers to curl and arthritis to set in.

Keaton ran up to him with a shake of his head. "Flooding, huh? Would explain why it got so busy here." He stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "So, Walker the DPS has my car video on file. They want me to see what happened a few nights ago. Not too sure if I'm ready."

"You'll know when your ready." Walker rounded another corner which brought him into the vast food court. He looked up at Keaton. "You see them?"

"Yeah, right over there." He waved then patted Walker on the shoulder. "If you don't mind, me and Angela need to have a talk alone."

Angela had spotted Keaton and would have ran away if it wasn't for her mother grabbing hold of her arm. Now, as her mother went to catch up with dad, Angela got herself a pizza and a drink. As she sat down at a table, far from the crowd, Keaton walked up to her with a tray of Chinese food.

She waved for him to sit which he did without saying a single word. Angela's attention shifted to the line of stitches on Keaton's neck, a reminder on how close he had come to loosing his life. He noticed her attention was on his neck and gave her a gentle smile.

"It looks worse then it is." His voice was quiet. "Listen, Angie…" He began to play around with his food. "After I got shot, I realized that life is just too short for petty fights." He shook his head. "Angie, I've been a real jerk to you."

"Keaton, please…"

Keaton held up his hand. "Angie, I should have been happy for you." He gave her a big smile. "You're getting married to a wonderful man…"

Angela's heart began to beat fast as she looked at her best friend. "Keaton, I'm not going to marry Jackson."

"Why not?" Sudden realization flashed across Keaton's face. "It's all because I was shot." He shook his head then stood to his feet. "I can't believe you…"

"Keaton, please." Angela tried her hardest to control the tears that threatened to come. "I forgot what we had…" She shook her head as she stood to her feet. "Keaton, I almost lost you that day." Her heart broke as she stared up into her friend's face. "Please, I forgot what I had here. What we had…"

Keaton rubbed his face then shook his head. "So, your love for me will only grow if I'm hurt?"

Angela began to cry and feared everybody was now looking at them. She wiped her face then took one last look at Keaton before she left to find her mother. As Angela made her way down the walkway she decided to call her mother. However, her hands were shaking so bad, she couldn't even get her purse open to get her phone out.

"Angie! Wait!"

It took all Angela had to not whip around and smack Keaton right then and there. "What do you want. Keaton? You clearly spoke your mind on how you…"

"I'm sorry, I was out of line." Keaton's shoulders slumped as his eyes pleaded with her. "I forgive you, Angela. Friends?"

Angela's bottom lip quivered as she nodded her head. "Of course." She ran her hands up and down his arms then gave Keaton a kiss on the cheek. "Let's try to make this work."


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, this is a long chapter, but the next one should be the end. Unfortunately it may be a long time coming since I still don't know how to finish it. :(**

Later that day, at the Walker's ranch everybody gathered for a impromptu barbeque. Here, Walker started the grill for hamburgers, hot dogs and vegetables. In the yard a game of football started, but Keaton remained on the porch. Walker could tell it hurt the young man not being able to participate in the fun. At least it was just for a few more days then Keaton will be back to full force.

He threw the patties on the grill then spun his chair around to face Keaton. "Watch the food real quick. I got something to show you all."

Walker quickly pushed his chair inside where he went to a small closet located next to his bedroom. Here he pulled the door open to see his latest wheelchair folded up inside. Last year he had gotten a letter from a company who had invented a chair solely for outdoor use and wanted to donate one to him. Walker being rather stubborn said no at first, but after much thinking he finally agreed. He just got the chair last week and had only tested it out once. Now was the time to see how rugged the chair really was.

He grabbed the chair, put the wheels on then quickly switched and strapped himself in. The chair was actually quiet comfortable, but having only one wheel in back took some getting use to. But he really liked the chair for it's large and sturdy wheels. He rocked the wheels back and forth to get a feel for it then headed back outside.

Once on the porch he heard a whistle from Keaton who was attending the grill. "Nice set of wheels, Walker. Where did you get it?"

"A company donated it to me." He spun the chair around then gave Keaton a sheepish smile. "Can you watch the food real quick? Going to take this for a spin."

Keaton chuckled. "Go ahead. Let me know how it feels for you."

Alex sat at the picnic table watching the game of football with Sydney and Erica by her side. She laughed as Gage fell flat on his face after attempting to tackle Trivette. One look at the men playing, most would think they were only in their forties. However most of them were now well into their sixties, but all kept in great physical shape. Alex could see Walker heading out with his new wheelchair as Leroy ran behind him playing with Gabby. Leroy didn't have his vest on which told the dog he was off duty and allowed to play.

"Hey! That's a new chair!" Proclaimed Sydney as she stood. "When did Walker get that?"

"Last week." Alex smiled as she watched Walker participate in the game as much as he could. "A company, knowing we lived on a ranch, gave it to him." Her heart swelled up with pride as her husband laughed after catching the football thrown to him by Ballistari. "I have a feeling he's going to be using it a lot more now."

"Walker!" Shouted Trivette as he sprinted past Gage once again. "Throw it here."

Walker threw the ball to his friend then pushed his chair forward till he bumped Gage in the legs. Since Walker couldn't tackle this was his way of letting people know they were now out. Gage spun around and Alex could see a huge smile spread across the man's face.

"Nice chair. How does it feel?"

"Great. Rather rugged and easy to use." Walker laughed as the game started again. "The loosing team gets to move the picnic tables!" He shouted as he caught the ball and started to make his way towards his goal line.

Alex chuckled as she watched her husband latter the ball to Trivette who easily ran it in for a touchdown. As she took a sip of her lemonade, soft footsteps sounded on the porch behind her. She then heard Angela's voice as she talked to Keaton about dinner.

"Hey, Angela." Alex slowly stood up and gave her daughter a hug. "How is the studying coming along?"

Her daughter shook her head. "Slow and tedious."

"Don't worry, you'll pull through just fine." She patted Angela on the back then inhaled the wonderful scent of hamburgers and peppers. "Smells really good, Keaton."

"What's up, everybody!" Marc's loud, booming voice made everybody on the porch to start laughing. "Room for one more player? I have some payback coming for the old man!"

Erica stepped up to Alex with a wag of her head. "Just like his father." She poured herself some lemonade then leaned against the railing. "Kind of scares me he wants to be a Texas Ranger, but I have to understand that is what he wants to do."

Alex gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry, Marc's a smart man."

The woman continued to talk while Keaton worked the grill. He ripped open a package of hotdogs, laid a few on the grill then let out a sharp whistle. This was the signal to let the men playing football know dinner was close to being ready.

Sydney leaned over the railing with a huge smile on her face. "So, who's moving the tables?"

Keaton chuckled as he put the vegetables on a plate. "I bet it's Gage."

"I bet your right." Sydney replied with a giggle.

Gage let out a loud moan. "Let's go, Ballistari and Marc."

Walker went up the ramp then into the kitchen with Leroy following close behind him. Keaton turned to see through the window, Walker gathering condiments from the refrigerator. He returned his attention to the grill where he took off the hamburgers and hot dogs then placed them on two separate plates.

"Dinner's ready!"

**Ten Months Later**

The ranch house was all decked out in Christmas decorations giving it a postcard like quality to the interior and exterior. Inside, Walker made his way through the house taking in the smell of ginger cookies being made. He loved this time of the year since it always reminded him on how fortunate he was to be alive. Even though paralyzed he was able to be there for his wife, daughter and Keaton.

He went over to the side table where a new picture sat in a wooden frame. It was of him and all of his friends taken during the big barbeque several months back. That day had been one of the best he has had since the incident that took away his ability to walk. Hopefully he will have more days like that in the near future.

Alex walked up behind him and gently rubbed his shoulders. "Is everything ready for Keaton?"

"Yeah, I even got a horse and carriage for him." He spun his chair around to get a good look at his wife. "Even I have to admit, it's going to be very romantic."

"So, is it true that Gage and Trivette got together to pay for our cruise?"

Walker laughed. "They sure did." He went over to the coffee table and picked up a thick travel brochure. "But I'm actually looking forward to it. The guys went all out, sounds like a lot of fun." He grinned at Alex then pulled her till she was sitting on his lap. This got a giggle from his wife who leaned down to give him a kiss.

"Ah!" Came Angela's voice from behind. "Seriously, can you two wait till the cruise?"

Alex kissed Walker once more then got to her feet. "Didn't hear you walking in, Angie." Alex cheeks turned beet red as Keaton sheepishly waved at them. "Hey there, Keaton."

"Hey." Keaton lifted a few Christmas bags. "Brought some gifts. There's a little something, something in there for the cruise." He winked getting a long drawn out moan from Angela as she hurriedly went into the kitchen.

Walker blushed as he took the gifts from Keaton. "Thanks."

"Not a problem." He dug into his coat pocket and produced a large dog treat. "Leroy!" The dog happily walked up to him with his tail wagging. "Here you go." Keaton rubbed Leroy between the ears as he fed him the treat. "Got everything planned out?"

"Yeah, sure do." Walker petted Leroy's back then motioned for Keaton to follow him into their bedroom. Once in, Keaton leaned down so Walker can whisper into his ear. "Okay, me and Alex are getting a hotel tomorrow so you'll have the ranch to yourself." He grinned as he produced a card from his shirt pocket. "Call that man. Trust me, you'll like what he will bring for you."

"Can't thank you enough, Walker." Keaton gave the man a big hug. "I just hope she says yes." He let out a nervous chuckle as his smile disappeared. "What if she says no?"

"Don't worry, she won't." Walker glanced up at the young man that will hopefully be his future son-in-law, a big smile on his face. "Keep me updated."

Keaton laughed. "Will do."

**The Next Day**

The day had gotten much colder as Angela drove up the long driveway leading to her parents house. All day she had spent time with Erica and Sydney doing some last minute preparations at C.D.'s. Tomorrow, the restaurant will be open only for Company B's family and close friends. It was a tradition that has happened all of Angela's life. A smile crept over her face at just thinking about her father's Christmas stories. Hopefully her kids will be able to hear the many tales of Hayes Cooper just like she did growing up.

She parked the car then got out, the cool air making her shiver and pull her coat tighter to her body. As she made her way to the front porch her mind went to her parents who will be going on a two week cruise next week. Both of them needed a well deserved vacation and she knew they will have a lot of fun.

After Angela dug her keys out of her purse, she went to put them in, but noticed the lights were on in the living room. Curious, she checked the door to see it was open. As she entered into the house, the smell of garlic and other herbs told her somebody was cooking.

"Mom, dad!" She called out, surprised Leroy didn't greet her. "Hello?"

Angela took off her coat, hung it on the rack then placed her purse on the bench. She slowly made her way through the house, her attention going to the dining room table. It was decorated with a dozen candles and place sets for only two people.

"Okay?" She questioned as she headed into the kitchen and spotted Keaton at the stove. "Keaton?"

"Hey, Angie." He turned to her with a huge smile on his face. "Why don't you sit down at the table. Dinner is on me."

Angela smiled at Keaton who was nicely dressed in a cotton sweater and dark jeans. As she sat, he went to the refrigerator, pulled out a large bowl of salad then went to the table. He put some on her plate then went back to cooking in the kitchen.

"What is this all about, Keaton?" She glanced down at the beautiful salad to see strawberries, almonds and grilled chicken mixed in with lettuce. Did Keaton make this for her? "What do you have up your sleeve?"

He chuckled. "A bit of a special night for you."

XXXX

After getting their room number, Alex jumped back into the truck and told Walker where to park. Since they were only going to stay in a hotel for a night, they decided to choose one close to home. Walker found a handicap spot, pulled in then pushed a button which opened the doors and brought out a lift that was attached to the underside of his truck. This has become such a routine that he can now get in and out of the truck in under five minutes. Walker will never forget how embarrassed he was when he had to use the lift for the first time. And for awhile he questioned his decision on keeping a truck. But after several weeks he grew to like the lift since it made things much more simpler for him.

Leroy jumped down after Walker, shook then stood to attention next to him. He rubbed the dog between the ears then closed the doors by pushing a button on his keychain. As he pushed his wheelchair forward his attention went to a young couple by a sports car. They appeared to be arguing over something; the man was flailing his arms around as the young woman cried into her hands.

"Come on, Walker. It's getting pretty cold out here."

"Right." He turned his chair and started to head towards the door. "I'm hoping Angie is having a good time. Keaton really worked hard on making tonight perfect for her."

Alex beamed at him. "I know she will. Let's hope we get good news tomorrow." Her smile quickly faded as her hand went to her face. "Walker, he has a knife."

Walker quickly spun around in time to see the man stab the woman twice in the chest. "Call 911!" He began to push his chair towards the couple. "Hey! Hold it right there!"

The man spun around, knife in hand. "What can you do to me!" He began to laugh as he started to walk towards Walker. "Just leave me alone. This is none of your business!"

"You made it my business after you attacked that woman." Walker's attention went to the young woman who laid prone on the asphalt gasping for breath. "She needs to go to the hospital or she will die. Do you want that to happen?"

"She cheated on me!" The man waved his knife towards Walker getting a growl from Leroy. "I hate dogs!"

Walker waved at Leroy. "Go to Alex." When the dog didn't follow orders Walker got furious. "Now, Leroy. Go!"

The man rushed at Walker with the knife raised above his head. In one quick, fluid motion Walker undid both straps on his chair, pushed the wheels forward then tackled the guy to the ground. He instantly went for the knife hand and got the man's arm into a hold. The man cursed then started to punch Walker in the shoulder with his free hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The man let out a scream of agony as Walker bent his arm backwards. "Let go of me!" Sirens filled the air around them making the man more nervous. "I can't go to jail!"

With inhuman strength he fought Walker till his arm was finally free from the hold. Adrenaline rushed through Walker's body knowing he was now in a fight for his life. The man got on his knees, raised the knife and was about to plunge it into Walker's chest when a loud crack echoed through the air. Blood splattered on Walker's face as the man gurgled for air then fell to his back.

"Sir, hang in there!" A police officer went, checked the suspect then knelt next to Walker. "Are you okay, sir?"

"How's the woman?" Walker went to his elbows and saw a paramedic team helping the victim. "Is she going to pull through?"

The officer glanced back then nodded his head. "All thanks to you." He went, got Walker's wheelchair then locked it's breaks. "Need help?"

Walker shook his head. "I got it." Leroy padded over to him, knowing what he needed to do. Since he was a larger breed of dog, German Sheppard/Giant Schnauzer mix Walker could use him as aid if need be. Walker grabbed hold of Leroy's wide neck then pulled himself up and into his chair. "Good boy, Leroy." He petted the dog between the ears as his wife came running up to him.

"Walker!" She took a glance at the two groups of paramedics who were helping the victim and suspect then slapped Walker on the shoulder. "You gave me a scare!"

"Sorry, but I couldn't just stand by and watch." He maneuvered his legs till they looked comfortable then strapped them in. "How hard did my legs hit the ground?"

Alex rubbed his shoulders. "Not very hard. The man you tackled broke most of your fall."

"Good." A paramedic was frantically waving at Walker to come over to their group. "Be right back."

Walker quickly pushed his chair forward till he reached a stretcher. Laying on top was the young woman who he had just saved. She reached her hand out for him and he quickly took hold of it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, mister. I pray God returns the favor to you."

"Just doing my job, ma'am." Walker let her hand go so the paramedics could take her inside the ambulance. He took one last look at the woman then headed to his wife. "Sorry, Alex. Looks like I'm going to the department tonight to write down my statement."

Alex bent down and with a towel she started to clean his face. "At least it's this night and not next week." She gave him a big hug. "Just don't do it again."

XXXX

The night had been perfect, but now Keaton had to ask the all important question. As Angela got dressed in warm clothes, he went out to the barn where he met Walker's friend, George Mayfield. George owned a carriage company in Fort Worth and gladly volunteered his time for tonight.

Keaton rubbed his hand down the horse's neck. "Thank you so much for doing this."

George gave Keaton a huge smile and a wink. "Anything to help a romantic." He patted Keaton on the back. "All right, go ahead and head back to the house. I'll bring the carriage up back for you." He winked at Keaton. "I hope she says yes."

"I hope so to."

Keaton smiled at the man then jogged back towards the house. Here, he went through the backdoor and quickly got a samll picnic basket ready for their carriage ride under the stars. After he made sure the dessert and wine was neatly packed inside he reached into his coat pocket to feel the velvet box containing Angela's engagement ring. His heart started to beat against his chest as the nerves hit him. Will she say yes to him after what had happened several months back?

"Keaton, I'm ready."

He quickly pulled his hand out of the pocket and gave Angela a lopsided smile. "Great. Come on, I have a surprise waiting for you out in the backyard."

Her eyes fell against the picnic basket on top of the counter. "Oh Keaton." She gave him a big hug then kissed him on the cheek. "This night has been so perfect."

Keaton took the basket in one hand then Angela's arm in the other. "Close your eyes." When she did, he led them outside and down the wheelchair ramp where George waited with the carriage. "Now, open them."

"Keaton!" Angela's hands went to her mouth then she gave him a big hug. "You've really outdone yourself this time."

He led her to the carriage, helped her get inside then sat next to her. George smiled at the both of them then clicked his tongue to get the horses moving. Keaton took a wool blanket, which was laying across the back and threw it over both of their legs. Angela beamed then snuggled into his side allowing Keaton to put his arm around her.

"This is to make up for all the arguments we had." Keaton brushed Angela's hair away from her face. "I've been a real jerk to you, Angie. You don't need that…"

She put her finger to his mouth. "Since the argument, I've really been thinking about us, about our future. I know I haven't been very talkative to you and I'm sorry for that, but I had a lot on my mind." She took a deep breath then shook her head. "But I'm graduating college next year and will be moving back to Dallas…"

Keaton's heart fluttered with excitement. "You got a position here?" A huge grin spread across his face. "But there wasn't any available…"

Angela laughed. "My father is Cordell Walker and my mother is Alex Cahill-Walker." She gave him an innocent shrug. "Let's just say that kind of helped."

"That's so great to hear." He gave Angela a big hug. "Where will you be working at?"

"Methodist for awhile." She poked him in the side. "You seem really happy about it." Realization swept over her face and she swiftly sat up. "Keaton…all of this…"

Keaton gave her a sheepish smile. "Caught me." He pulled the ring box out of his coat pocket. "Been wanting to do this for awhile." Angela's hands, which had started to shake went to her mouth. Keaton opened the box to show Angela the ring inside. "Angela Elizabeth Walker, will you marry me?"

Angela slowly nodded her head as tears came to her eyes. "Yes, of course I do." After Keaton put the ring on her finger she gave him a hug so tight, he could barely breath. "Oh, Keaton…" She pulled back and gave him a kiss. "It's so beautiful!"

"I promise you, I will never leave your side." He traced his finger down her cheek. "I love you, Angie. And I will be there for you no matter what comes our way."

"I love you too, Keaton." She glanced at the ring glittering on her left hand. "Oh, Keaton! We need to call my parents!"

He gave her a smile and a hug. "Don't worry, we'll let everybody know tomorrow at the Christmas party."


	17. Chapter 17

**Very short chapter to wrap things up. :) Hope everybody enjoyed this story. And feel free to say something and I will fix this chapter. :)**

**Christmas Day**

The restaurant was alive with voices and music as families gathered to have fun on this rare cold, Christmas. Keaton held the door open for Angela as they walked in to partake in the festivities. He was instantly greeted by Gage who handed him a glass of eggnog and gave both of them a friendly hug. As he walked back to play with his daughter, Angela beamed at Keaton and wiggled her gloved left hand.

"Your parents should be arriving soon." He glanced at his watch. "However, your dad is having to deal with the press right now."

Angela laughed. "That he is. People in the Metroplex are calling him the "Christmas Hero". But knowing my dad, he was just doing what he thought was best." She wrapped her arm around Keaton's waist. "Hopefully it won't be too much longer."

As if on cue, Walker and Alex made their way into C.D.'s with Leroy right next to them. Keaton gave both of them a big hug then gave Angela a huge smile. With hands clasped together they made their way to the bar where Keaton took a fork and tapped it on his glass several times to get everybody's attention.

"Since everybody is here, me and Angela got an announcement to make!" This got several people to giggle throughout the room. Keaton laughed as he turned to Angela. "Me and Angie are getting married!" Cheers erupted as Keaton swept his fiancée in his arms for a long kiss.

Walker came up to them with a huge smile on his face. "Congratulations! You two are perfect for each other." He gave them both a big hug. "So, when will we be expecting grandkids?" This got him a playful slap on the shoulder from Alex.

Angela kissed her father on the forehead. "Won't be for awhile, dad."

Marc stepped up to Keaton with a grin on his face. "Bout time, Keaton!" He gave Keaton a hug. "So, who will be your best man?"

"You of course!" Keaton patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Will not have no other!" Gage and Trivette went up to him with smiles on both their faces. "And you two will be my groomsmen!" He pointed at Gage. "Just don't blow up my tux!" This got everybody near Keaton to laugh hysterically as Gage faked looking hurt.

"So when will the big day come?" Asked Trivette.

Angela shook her head. "We talked about it all night, we believe we're going to wait for next year, when I'm done with residency." She gave Keaton another big hug. "And we want to get married at the ranch, near the creek."

Marc lifted his glass into the air. "Let's hear it for Keaton and Angela!" Several cheers resounded through the restaurant. He gave the couple a huge grin. "Merry Christmas, guys!"


End file.
